ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Meghan Andersen scored 12 of her 27 points in a dominant second quarter and Sydni Scott scored 18 on 6-for-6 shooting from 3-point range as Fairfield cruised to a 76-53 victory over Quinnipiac in the championship game of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament on Saturday, earning the Stags their sixth trip to the NCAA Tournament.
It was the second straight tournament title for Fairfield (28-4). The Stags have made three of their six trips to the NCAA Tournament in the last four years. No. 2 seed Quinnipiac (28-4) handed Fairfield its only loss since Dec. 15 with a victory in the regular-season finale. The Bobcats had a 12-game win streak end.
After a 15-all tie in the first quarter, Andersen took over. She made 4 of 6 shots with three 3-pointers and added her only free throw to help Fairfield outscore the Bobcats 26-11 for a 41-26 advantage at halftime. Kaety L'Amoreaux had the first two baskets of the quarter Andersen followed with a 3-pointer and a three-point play and the Stags' lead was never threatened from there. Gal Raviv scored eight for Quinnipiac on 3-for-9 shooting while her teammates made 1 of 4 shots in the second period.
Andersen, a sophomore, made 10 of 15 shots from the floor, including 6 of 9 from beyond the arc. She added five rebounds. Scott, a junior, matched her career high with the six 3-pointers and hadn't made more than three in any game this season. L'Amoreaux pitched in with 14 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
Raviv scored 17 on 6-for-22 shooting for the Bobcats. She added six rebounds and five assists. Anna Foley scored 10.
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball
Fairfield head coach Carly Thibault-DuDonis waves the net around following the NCAA college basketball game against Quinnipiac in the championship of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament, Saturday, March 15, 2025, in Atlantic City, N.J. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
HAFJELL, Norway (AP) — World champion Loic Meillard won the season's penultimate men's World Cup slalom Sunday as the Swiss skier boosted his chances of taking the discipline title.
Meillard overcame a big mistake early in his final run and held on to his first-leg lead as he beat Atle Lie McGrath of Norway by 0.21 seconds. Lucas Pinheiro Braathen was 0.47 back in third.
“It was a wild second run with a few mistakes. I just wanted to fully attack, maybe even too much,” said Meillard, who also won Saturday’s giant slalom on the same hill. “It’s a dream for a tech skier to win both days, GS and slalom, and for it to happen this weekend is pretty amazing.”
Meillard's sole previous career World Cup victory in slalom came in Aspen, Colorado a year ago, though he took gold at the worlds in Austria in February.
Henrik Kristoffersen, who leads the discpline standings, won both the GS and the slalom at the previous tech weekend in Slovenia two weeks ago.
On Sunday, the Norwegian placed fifth and saw his advantage over Meillard reduced to 47 points with only the season-ending race remaining at the World Cup finals in Sun Valley, Idaho on March 27.
Kristoffersen will secure the title if he finishes third or better in that race, regardless of Meillard's result.
“It’s still a big gap,” Meillard said. “So, he has to fail it a little bit and I have to do something very special like today. So, it’s really a nice fight until the end.”
The only other racer left with a chance to win the season title is Clement Noel. The Olympic champion from France finished seventh and trails Kristoffersen by 86 points. A race win is worth 100 points.
Kristoffersen has won the slalom title three times in his career, most recently in 2022, but it would be the first career slalom globe for either Meillard or Noel.
Last year’s slalom champion, Manuel Feller, skied out in the first run, but the Austrian was already out of contention for the season title before the race.
Racing on a hill where he skied many times in his youth, Pinheiro Braathen earned his fifth podium result since taking a year off and returning to the circuit this season following a switch from the Norwegian to the Brazilian federation.
“I had so many training runs here, so many of my fundamentals come from here, Hafjell,” said Pinheiro Braathen, who is chasing Brazil’s first-ever triumph in a top-level ski race.
Hafjell hosted World Cup races for the first time since 2003.
Swiss star Marco Odermatt, who locked up the overall and giant slalom titles on Saturday, does not compete in slaloms.
The race wrapped up the regular World Cup season ahead of the finals for both men and women in Sun Valley, which open with the speed events next weekend.
AP skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing
Switzerland's Loic Meillard celebrates on the podium after winning an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom, in Hafjell, Norway, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)
Switzerland's Loic Meillard competes on his way to win an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom, in Hafjell, Norway, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Giovanni Zenoni)
Switzerland's Loic Meillard, center, winner of an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom, celebrates with second-placed Norway's Atle Lie McGrath, left, and third-placed Brazil's Lucas Pinheiro Braathen, in Hafjell, Norway, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)
Brazil's Lucas Pinheiro Braathen, right, and Norway's Atle Lie McGrath look at Switzerland's Loic Meillard descending during an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom, in Hafjell, Norway, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)
Switzerland's Loic Meillard, right, winner of an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom, and third-placed Brazil's Lucas Pinheiro Braathen congratulate each other at the finish area, in Hafjell, Norway, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)
Switzerland's Loic Meillard celebrates at the finish area of an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom, in Hafjell, Norway, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)
Austria's Manuel Feller competes in an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom, in Hafjell, Norway, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)
France's Clement Noel competes in an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom, in Hafjell, Norway, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)
Norway's Henrik Kristoffersen competes in an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom, in Hafjell, Norway, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)
Brazil's Lucas Pinheiro Braathen competes in an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom, in Hafjell, Norway, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)
Switzerland's Loic Meillard competes in an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom, in Hafjell, Norway, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)
