ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — After splitting their two regular-season matchups, Quinnipiac and Fairfield met for the third time with the MAAC Championship on the line. This time, Fairfield came out on top, defeating No. 2 Quinnipiac 76-53 to claim the title.
“Obviously this hurts and it’s really disappointing not to get what we really wanted after the year we had, but I had the ride of a lifetime with this club,” head coach Tricia Fabbri said, “More basketball is ahead of us. It’s not where we want to be, but we’re still going to make the most of it going forward.”
Fairfield came ready to play, shooting 51.7% from three-point range, led by Sydni Scott’s perfect 6-for-6 performance from deep and Meghan Andersen’s 27 points on 10-for-15 shooting from the field, including 6-for-9 from three. Scott finished with 18 points off the bench as Fairfield’s reserves contributed 28 points overall.
The Bobcats started strong, scoring the first five points with a backdoor layup from Karson Martin, followed by an and-one play from Grace LaBarge. Fairfield quickly responded with a three-pointer, but Jackie Grisdale answered with a jumper to maintain the lead. The score was tied four times in the first quarter, ending at 15-15.
Fairfield pulled away in the second quarter, outscoring Quinnipiac 25-15. The Stags shot 56.3% (9-for-16) from the field and 62.5% (5-for-8) from three in the quarter. Scott hit back-to-back threes to extend the lead to 10, followed by consecutive threes from Meghan Anderson, who ranks sixth in the MAAC in three-point percentage (.363). Fairfield led by 15 at halftime.
Quinnipiac showed some fight in the third quarter, led by Anna Foley, who scored four quick points to give the Bobcats hope. Quinnipiac posted 16 points in the third — their highest-scoring quarter — but still trailed 54-42.
Fairfield’s shooting dominance continued in the fourth, as they shot 7-for-14 from the field and 6-for-9 from three. Fairfield leads the MAAC in three-pointers made per game (8.7), and it showed.
“I’m trying to approach it today with a lot of pride for what the season was. We had a lot of great moments. This team is something special, and it always will be,” Grisdale said, “It sucks to be in this position right now, but we have to give credit to Fairfield because they played an outstanding game today.”
Fairfield’s defense also stood out, forcing 14 turnovers and converting them into 19 points. Despite Fairfield’s sharp shooting, they outscored Quinnipiac in the paint 26-20.
Quinnipiac struggled offensively, scoring a season-low 53 points and shooting just 6-for-19 from three. Fairfield’s defense, which leads the MAAC in three-point defense (.267), lived up to its reputation.
Freshman guard Gal Raviv led the Bobcats with 17 points, shooting 6-for-22 from the field and 3-for-9 from three, while adding six rebounds. Foley followed with 10 points, and LaBarge chipped in eight.
The Bobcats will graduate three seniors: Grace LaBarge, Caranda Perea, and Khadijah Tungo.
