2012-13
Stags Women’s Basketball 63
Fairfield in theNational Postseason
2012
WNIT PARTICIPANT
FIRST-EVER WNIT HOME GAME
The Stags made their second-ever WNIT appearance and the first since 2000
when they faced Drexel University on March 15. The Stags clinched the No. 2
seed in the MAAC Basketball Championship with their victory at Canisius
College on February 19. With their loss to Marist College in the MAAC
Championship Final, the Stags received the league’s automatic bid to the WNIT
as the highest remaining team in the MAAC regular season standings. The Stags
hosted their first-ever WNIT game at Alumni Hall where they were tipped by the
Dragons, 57-41, to end the season. Junior Katelyn Linney scored her 1,000th
career point in that game while the careersof legendary Stags players Desiree
Pina and Taryn Johnson came to an end.
2010
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL INVITATIONAL (WBI)
FIRST-EVER NATIONAL POSTSEASON WIN
The Stags made their first postseason appearance in nearly a decade and came
away with the program’s first-ever national postseason victory. After giving
Marist all it could handle in the MAAC
Championship Game, the Stags were reward-
ed with the fifth-seed in the East Region of
the WBI. Fairfield hosted #4 Towson at
Alumni Hall, and behind 24-point, 10-
rebound Stephanie Geehan double-double,
earned a 69-55 victory. A quick turn-around,
three days, had the Stags in Boone, N.C.
where Fairfield fell to the eventual WBI
Champion, Appalachian State. For the sec-
ond time in three seasons the Stags won 20
games in a year, finishing at 20-14, after win-
ning nine straight games from the end of the
regular season through the MAAC
Championship semifinals. It marked the eighth time in program history, and the
second time in three years, that the Stags reached 20 wins in a season. For the
third straight year, the Stags finished league play as the three-seed, posting an
11-7
record against MAAC opponents.
2001
NCAA TOURNAMENT PARTICIPANT
FIRST-EVER AT-LARGE BERTH
The Stags fourth trip to the NCAA Tournament came without winning the MAAC
Tournament, as the 2001 Fairfield squad was given a coveted at-large bid by the
NCAA Tournament Selection Committee. This was just the third at-large bid in
MAAC history, and the first since 1989. A tough non-conference schedule, along
with a second-place finish in the MAAC, with a 16-2 conference record, allowed
the Stags to go dancing. The number 12 seeded Stags traveled to Salt Lake City,
Utah, to square off with the number five seeded Utah Utes. Once again, the
Stags NCAA Tournament stay ended after one contest, losing 79-57. They fin-
ished the season with a 25-6 record, tying the school record for most victories in
a season. There were three seniors on the roster, Gail Strumpf, Holli Tapley, and
Allison Thorne, who graduated as one of the most successful classes in the pro-
gram’s history.
2000
WNIT PARTICIPANT
MAAC REGULAR SEASON CHAMPIONS
For the second time in three years, the 1999-2000 Stag squad received a post-
season bid as Fairfield earned the right to play in the Women’s National
Invitational Tournament. After a successful regular season, which left them as
the number one seed in the MAAC Tournament, the Stags quickly disposed of
Canisius in the first round, 74-54 and then squeezed out a 76-73 victory over
Siena in the second round. Unfortunately, Fairfield’s run came to an end in the
championship game as the Stags lost to St. Peter’s 61-46. Still, Fairfield was
rewarded for an outstanding season with the program’s first WNIT berth. The
Stags traveled to Madison, Wisc., to take on the Wisconsin Badgers in the first
round. Fairfield played their hearts out, with Megan Light tallying a team-high
eight points, but the Badgers proved too much to overcome as the Stags were
defeated 83-46. The Stags finished the 1999-2000 season with a 25-8 record,
tying the school record for most wins in a season.
1998
NCAA TOURNAMENT PARTICIPANT
MAAC CHAMPIONS
In 1998, Fairfield returned to the NCAA Tournament after a seven-year hiatus.
The 1997-98 Stags earned the right to play in the tournament by winning the
MAAC championship, defeating Manhattan,
St. Peter’s, and Loyola. The Manhattan victo-
ry showed the Stags perseverance, as they
were down 74-67 with 1:19 left in regulation.
Senior tri-captain Chantel Williams hit a
jumper at the buzzer to send the contest into
overtime, where the Stags prevailed, 89-83.
Fairfield easily defeated the defending MAAC
Champion, St. Peter’s in the second round,
64-51.
In the MAAC final, senior tri-captain
Paige Driscoll scored 17 points, and Gail
Strumpf added 10 points and 10 rebounds,
giving the Stags a 59-53 victory, and the MAAC Championship. In the first round
of the NCAA Tournament, the Stags fell to UConn 93-52, ending the year with a
20-10
record.
1991
NCAA TOURNAMENT PARTICIPANT
MAAC CHAMPIONS
For the second time in the program’s history, the 1990-91 Stags went tourna-
ment dancing. Fairfield coasted through the MAAC regular season, finishing
atop the conference with a 15-1 record. In the
first round of the MAAC Tournament, the Stags
easily dispatched Iona with an 83-59 victory.
Manhattan was the opponent in the second
round, and they gave Fairfield all they could
handle but the Stags squeaked by as Lisa
Mikelic scored on a driving lay-up with one sec-
ond remaining to give Fairfield the 70-68 victo-
ry. The championship game proved to be anoth-
er nail biter but the Stags prevailed over St.
Peter’s, 80-78. The next step was the NCAA
Tournament, where Fairfield was pitted against
the host team, Providence College. On paper
what looked like a mismatch, turned out to be a thrilling affair, with the Friars
sneaking away with an 88-87 victory. This was one of the finest seasons in school
history, as the Stags finished with a 25-6 record.
1988
NCAA TOURNAMENT PARTICIPANT
MAAC CHAMPIONS EARN FIRST-EVER BERTH
The Stags earned their first MAAC Championship and NCAA Tournament berth in
1988.
During the MAAC regular-season, the 1987-88 team finished 8-4, which
gave them the third seed in the MAAC tournament. In the first round, the Stags
easily disposed of Fordham, 80-66. Next up, the Stags crushed the second seed
Holy Cross, 86-65. Arch nemesis La Salle was the opponent in the finals. Senior
Terry Voegler gave the Stags their first lead of the contest with a ten-foot jumper
with 2:04 remaining, and they never looked back, winning 55-50. Fairfield was
put into the East Region of the NCAA Tournament, which saw them travel to St.
John’s University to play the host squad. Fairfield fought hard, but St. John’s
pulled away with an 83-70 victory. The Stags may have been disappointed with
the defeat, but held their heads high after earning the school’s first tournament
berth, and posting a 19-10 overall record on the season.
Paige Driscoll
Lisa
Mikelic
Tara
Flaherty
NCAA Tournament
1988:
Lost to St. John’s, 93-70 (First Round, Jamaica, N.Y.)
1991:
Lost to Providence, 88-87 (First Round, Providence, R.I.)
1998:
Lost to UConn, 93-52 (First Round, Storrs, Conn.)
WNIT
2000:
Lost to Wisconsin, 83-46 (First Round, Madison, Wisc.)
2012:
Lost to Drexel, 57-41 (First Round, Fairfield, Conn.)
WBI Tournament
2010:
Defeated Towson, 69-55 (First Round, Fairfield, Conn.)
Lost to Appalachian State, 59-36 (Second Round, Boone, N.C.)
