SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. — As a prohibitive favorite in a conference she and her program have dominated three years running, Carly Thibault-DuDonis would ne the first to mention that getting a close game under her Fairfield team’s belt sooner rather than later would be a long-term blessing in a short-term torture chamber.
The Stags, the odds-on choice to capture the Metro Conference (formerly MAAC) championship — its last chance to do so before joining the Coastal Athletic Association next year — have led their opponents for all but two minutes and 48 seconds in three games this young season. But the perceived dominance does not mean Fairfield has been without its share of close calls, the first of which came Thursday night at Seton Hall.
Always a tough out in their own right, Tony Bozzella’s Pirates pushed Fairfield to the limit at Walsh Gymnasium, staying within earshot through the first half and tying the score at 32 early in the third quarter. A 15-0 Stag run at that juncture appeared to signal a comfortable victory in line a majority with Thibault-DuDonis’ 105 wins at the helm, but Seton Hall powered back in a frenetic final period.
Ultimately, the Stags, with help from senior point guard and reigning MAAC/Metro Player of the Year Kaety L’Amoreaux, held off the host Pirates in a 69-67 thriller that gave their fifth-year head coach the test results she had been hoping for, even if earlier than expected.
“I loved our resilience, loved our toughness,” Thibault-DuDonis exclaimed after Fairfield (3-0) survived foul trouble from L’Amoreaux and roadrunners Cyanne Coe, Meghan Andersen and Lana McCarthy, the latter two of whom fouled out toward the end of regulation. “We haven’t been in a close game yet this year, so I think ultimately, it’s really good for us. And I loved the togetherness we showed when there was some adversity.”
Thibault-DuDonis has spoken proudly and profoundly about her desire to build a legacy at Fairfield, a refreshing change of pace from most mid-major programs where young coaches like herself ultimately climb the ladder and ply their wares in a Power 6 conference. Her candor and vision has appealed to both her returning players and recruits alike, a major factor in the likes of L’Amoreaux, Andersen, Coe and Jillian Huerter all eschewing the transfer portal to weave another rich tapestry together. This year, the Stags have used the portal to their benefit again, adding more experience in the form of McCarthy and guard Paige Kohler, a pair of veterans coming into the program by way of Purdue and Bowling Green, respectively.
“They’ve brought so much,” Thibault-DuDonis said of her two high-profile newcomers’ impact in the locker room. I’ll start with Lana, since you mentioned her first. She’s someone that we recruited out of high school and didn’t get. She went to Purdue and when she got back in the portal, she’s been kind of a missing piece for this team of just having that physicality, that size, that length. Her and Cy are a great one-two punch.”
“And Paige brings so much experience, as you could see down the stretch. She’s pretty much started every game of her career and brings immediate experience for us. She’s smart, so she was able to pick up a highly nuanced motion offense quickly.”
Thibault-DuDonis has highlighted the cooperative approach to how she has built her program, where players have just as important and measured a voice in preparation and execution as she and her coaching staff does. That investment has once again manifested two weeks into a season where much is expected, and signs of yet another year to remember have already begun to reveal themselves.
“It’s just an affirmation that staying together and sticking together is a rarity in women’s basketball,” she shared. “And the advantage that comes with that, not only on the court and in the chemistry they have, but off the court and the trust they’ve built together, it’s a great, great affirmation and confirmation that we’re on to something special.”
Leave a Reply