Completed Event: Women's Basketball at Eastern Kentucky on March 19, 2026 , Loss , 58, to, 72
Final Score
Women's Basketball
58
at Eastern Kentucky
72
The University of Utah Athletics
Fairfield-Utah Preview
3/15/2001 12:00 AM | Women's Basketball
March 15, 2001
GAME: No. 12 Fairfield (25-5) vs. No. 5 Utah (26-3).
REGIONAL: Midwest, first round
TIME: Saturday, 11:30 p.m. EST.
SITE: Huntsman Center, Salt Lake City.
Awarded home-court advantage due to a scheduling conflict, Utah has an excellent chance to earn just its second NCAA tournament win Saturday as it plays Fairfield in a first-round game in the Midwest Regional.
The fifth-seeded Utes (26-3) became the host school of this subregional because fourth-seeded Iowa had a scheduling conflict as host of the 2001 NCAA wrestling championships at Carver-Hawkeye Arena this weekend. Utah is just 1-10 all-time in the NCAA tournament, defeating Iowa State in 1997.
Elaine Elliott's team will be trying to bounce back from just its third loss of the season, a 57-50 setback to Brigham Young in the semifinals of the Mountain West Conference tournament last Friday. It snapped the Utes' 15-game winning streak and was their first loss since a 64-58 defeat to Loyola Marymount on Jan. 2.
Utah is one of the best teams in the nation defensively, holding opponents to 49.7 points per game and 33.5 percent shooting from the field. Only four teams have topped 60 points against the Utes this season, none since the loss to Loyola Marymount.
Fairfield (25-5), seeded 12th, became the first team from the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference to receive an at-large bid since La Salle in 1988. The Stags had to sweat out "Selection Sunday" after losing to Siena in the MAAC tournament finals, but are making their first NCAA tournament appearance since 1998.
"People just jumped up and cried and hugged," Stags coach Dianne Nolan said. "It was pure jubilation. It's a very nice reward for having a real nice season."
The Stags have a balanced attack, led by the inside-outside combination of center Gail Strumpf (15.2 ppg) and Holli Tapley (14.7). Fairfield has made almost 40 percent of its 3-point attempts this season and is averaging 74.2 points.
Utah won the only game between the schools, a 78-48 rout on Jan. 6, 1988.
PROBABLE STARTERS: Fairfield - F Schrene Isidora (11.4 ppg, 5.4), F Ayanna Brown (10.7 ppg, 7.6 rpg), C Strumpf (15.2 ppg, 8.7 rpg), G Tapley (14.7 ppg, 3.2 apg), G Megan Light (10.9 ppg, 3.7 rpg). Utah - F Kristina Andersen (9.7 ppg, 5.1 rpg), F Lindsay Herbert (7.8 ppg, 3.5 rpg), C Lauren Beckman (12.6 ppg, 7.5 rpg), G Kelsy Stireman (5.2 ppg, 2.2 apg), G Amy Ewert (9.3 ppg, 3.4 apg)
HOW THEY GOT HERE: Fairfield - At-large berth, Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. Utah - At-large berth, Mountain West Conference.
ALL-TIME TOURNAMENT RECORD: Fairfield - 0-3, 3 years. Utah - 1-10, 10 years.
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