Fairfield is NCAA.com’s women’s basketball team of the week

The NCAA.com team of the week, Fairfield reached 26 wins on the season, stretched its team winning streak to 24 straight games and then was rewarded by earning the No. 25 spot in The Associated Press Top 25 women’s basketball poll for the first time in school history on Monday. The Stags became the fourth team from the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference to earn a spot in the Top 25, joining Saint Peter’s, LaSalle and Marist, whose last ranking was in 2011.

With wins last week at home over Quinnipiac, 64-46 on Feb. 29, and 77-53 at Manhattan on Saturday, Fairfield improved to 26-1 on the season, the second-highest winning percentage in the nation behind only undefeated South Carolina. Their 24-game win streak is also the second-longest active streak in the nation and was built against opponents from seven different conferences including the Big Ten, Big East and Atlantic-10.

The Stags have already clinched the MAAC regular season championship and the top-seed in the conference championships for the fifth time in program history. They are currently a perfect 18-0 in MAAC play, with the 18 conference victories tied for the most in the country. Fairfield is also tied for the national lead with 14 true road wins, which includes a 24-point win at Rutgers, the largest road margin of victory ever for a MAAC squad against a Big Ten foe on the road.

Dear @AP and @USATODAY,

We would like to apply for a position in your Top-25 rankings.

We would add a 26-1 record and a 24-game winning streak into your group, both second in the country.

Attached is our resume, we look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,#RankTheStags pic.twitter.com/pbuYoi5LTm

— #25 Fairfield Women’s Basketball (@StagsWBball) March 3, 2024

The Stags hold statistically the best offense and defense in the MAAC, leading the conference in five different offensive categories. They hold the top spot in the MAAC in scoring offense (73.5 points per game), field goal percentage (.472), 3-pointers per game (9.0), assists (17.5) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.3). Their lockdown defense also puts them near the top in the country, ranking in the top-10 nationally in both scoring defense (53.9) and field goal percentage defense (.352). They have held 11 opponents to fewer than 50 points in a game while limiting nine foes to shoot under 30 percent.

Fairfield has been led by freshman…