By: Connor Coar, Khalise Harris, Benjamin Yeargin
Thursday night at Fairfield’s Leo D. Mahoney Arena, Quinnipiac women’s basketball and the Stags — the top-two teams in the MAAC — will square off in their first meeting of the season.
This matchup will bring forth answers about the future of the MAAC come the postseason, But before the game starts, there’s also lots of questions to be answered. How will these two teams match up? Who’s the X-factor? What are the biggest questions each team needs to answer?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of each team?
Connor Coar: The Bobcats’ front court will have to play their best basketball of the season to keep this game close. Sophomore forward Anna Foley leads the way with 10.6 points per game, and her frontcourt counterpart, graduate forward Caranda Perea, has the abilities of a stretch four and is not scared to shoot the ball. Junior Ella O’Donnell and senior Grace LaBarge often sub in for Foley and Perea and bring similar attributes off the bench.
A consistent rotation has worked the entire season, but don’t be surprised if there is a 50-50 split between the two groups to keep their legs fresh.
Khalise Harris: Fairfield has been dominant at home, boasting an impressive 8-1 record at Leo D. Mahoney. The Stags thrive on home court, averaging 72 points per game while holding opponents to just 52.5 points. Their strong fandom adds to this edge. Their last home game against Manhattan was a sellout with an attendance of 3,573. Fairfield’s home dominance isn’t new either — last season, it went undefeated at home (13-0), proving just how difficult it is for opponents to win in their arena.
Benjamin Yeargin: The Stags’ biggest advantage is their defense. Fairfield is top-three in the MAAC in every defensive category you can think of: scoring defense, opponent field-goal percentage, opponent three-point percentage and forcing turnovers. In Hamden, the Bobcats’ biggest advantage is their guard play. Senior guard Jackie Grisdale, sophomore guard Karson Martin and freshman guard Gal Raviv all sit within the top-20 of the conference in points per game at 13, 20 and fourth.
The biggest disadvantage for Fairfield is that it doesn’t shoot free-throws well. Fairfield is tied for third-worst in the MAAC in free-throw percentage with a 66.7% integer. Sure, those free-throws don’t necessarily matter when your average margin of victory is 20.9 points, but going into close MAAC Tournament games and against competitive teams like Quinnipiac, they matter.
For the Bobcats, it’s allowing teams to score in the paint. In its only loss of conference play, Quinnipiac was outscored 24-20 in the paint. Fairfield limits teams to access the post and have guards that aren’t afraid to drive into the paint. To win the game, the Bobcats have to outscore Fairfield in the paint.
| Fairfield | Quinnipiac | |
| 74.8 | Points/G | 68.7 |
| 53.8 | Points Allowed/G | 58.7 |
| 14.3 | Turnovers/G | 12.6 |
| 33.2% | Three-point % | 35% |
| 66.7% | Free Throw % | 74.5% |
- Bold indicates top two in MAAC
How would you describe this game in one word?
Coar: Revealing
When it’s the top two teams in the league, both sides are going to find out a lot about themselves. Raviv had the second-worst day of her collegiate career shooting the ball against Mount St. Mary’s on Jan. 18, due in large part to the defensive guard play from the Mountaineers for the 42 minutes that she was on the floor. Fairfield has 10 players with over 15 minutes played per game this season. Bodies are going to get thrown at Raviv when Quinnipiac is on offense. The question lies in how the first-year will respond to the adversity.
Fairfield lost to Indiana by 33 in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Women’s March Madness Tournament in large part to the height differential between the two teams. The Stags will have the height disadvantage against the Bobcats on paper, so they can’t allow the Bobcats to play inside-out and continue their hot shooting from behind the arc (35%; good for second in the MAAC).
Harris: Tense
A lot is on the line for both teams. A Fairfield loss would mark their first conference defeat since the 2022-2023 season while leaving them and Quinnipiac tied at the top of the MACC, matching 9-1 records. For Quinnipiac, this game is more than just a rivalry, but an opportunity to snap their two-game losing streak against Fairfield. Their last win over them dates back to March 4, 2023, in a 52-39 final.
A victory here would boost momentum for both teams and for Quinnipiac, especially. This would set them up for a crucial showdown on Saturday against Siena, the third-ranked team in the MACC. After suffering their first conference loss against Mount St. Mary’s, Quinnipiac is hungry to get back on track, and this game could be the spark they needed to ignite their energy and reclaim their dominant form.
Yeargin: Difficult
This game will be a true test for both teams. Quinnipiac will have to find ways to defend the floor at all three-levels, mitigate Fairfield’s transition offense and limit its own turnovers. Pretty much, don’t allow the Stags to use their strengths. That will be tough to do; no one in the MAAC has successfully stopped them. With the combination of Fairfield’s dynamic road runners like sophomore Meghan Andersen and senior Emina Selimovic, the Stags can easily access and score at all three levels.
But for Fairfield, the Bobcats will be their biggest test in conference play and could doom them to its first MAAC loss in nearly two years. Quinnipiac’s perimeter defense has excelled this year with Grisdale leading the helm, which will be annoying for the Stags five-out offense. Additionally, the Bobcats have turned the rock over the fewest times in the MAAC and have bigs that are larger and can guard Fairfield’s road runners at all three levels. Both teams hope to flex their strengths to a win and register a statement win in the MAAC.
What are the biggest questions each team needs to answer?
Coar: How does Quinnipiac manage late game situations?
The two Bobcats losses this season have both come in overtime. Players and coaches have said they deserved to win their first game against Miami over Thanksgiving break, giving up 16 points in the overtime frame. The ball is going to be in Raviv’s hands no matter how you want to draw it up for Quinnipiac. The decision making from her and the rest of the backcourt will be one of the biggest factors if Quinnipiac ends up with a win Thursday night. Oh yeah, this game is also on the road.
Yeargin: How do the Stags defend Quinnipiac’s Gal Raviv?
Raviv has been remarkable for the Bobcats. She’s won seven MAAC Rookie of the Week awards, is fourth in the conference in points per game, seventh in assists and seventeenth in rebounding. Even in games where the entire team isn’t performing, Raviv manages to step up, making it crucial for Fairfield to stop her. The Stags could match up sophomore guard Kaety L’Amoreaux with Raviv, and clog up the lanes with their road runners so Raviv is unable to get to the basket, where she excels. No matter what the Stags strategy is, just know that in their scout they’ve highlighted Quinnipiac No. 14, and they will have a gameplan to limit Raviv’s scoring.
Harris: How does Fairfield prepare defensively for this matchup?
Despite Fairfield’s offensive edge — averaging 6.1 more points per game than Quinnipiac — the Bobcats hold the upper hand from beyond the arc, shooting 35% from three. Quinnipiac’s size in the front court also presents a challenge for the Stags, presenting a “mismatch” in the paint. Adding to Fairfield’s concerns, the Bobcats are efficient from the free-throw line, converting 74.5%. If the Stags can’t play disciplined defense, they risk sending Quinnipiac to the line, where the Bobcats can capitalize and pad their scoring.
Who is the X-factor of this matchup?
Coar: Quinnipiac sophomore guard Paige Girardi. The second year has seen a significant drop off in minutes in her second season compared to her first year of almost 14 minutes per game. Due in large part to the team being healthy again, Girardi has played her role with little to no errors. Many times spelling Raviv or senior guard Jackie Grisdale, running the second unit with only six turnovers the entire year. The two starters, Raviv and Grisdale, are both in the top ten in the entire country in minutes, but when Girardi gets into the game, limiting turnovers against the fast paced Stags will be key.
Yeargin: Fairfield sophomore guard Kaety L’Amoreaux. Since the reigning MAAC Player of the Year Janelle Brown went down with a season-ending ACL injury, L’Amoreaux has been forced to step up. She has. Since Brown’s injury, L’Amoreaux is averaging 14.9 points per game, 5.1 rebounds per game and 4.8 assists per game. And she has to continue to do so against Quinnipiac. She’ll face a difficult defensive matchup whether she is guarded by Grisdale, Raviv or Martin and she’ll have to guard one of those three too. For the Stags to succeed, they have to limit the Bobcats guards from scoring and L’Amoreaux should be the center of that gameplan.
Harris: Quinnipiac sophomore guard Karson Martin. With guard Jackie Grisdale’s season-ending injury in 2023, Martin was thrust into a significant role during her first year. She appeared in 24 games last season, starting 21, and she has played and started in all 18 games this season. With defenses primarily focused on other playmakers, including Raviv, Karson takes advantage of the extra space, making her a silent threat on the court. She currently sits third on the team in three-pointers made, with 17 this season, 30 assists and 21 steals so far.