Last Saturday Fairfield beat Manhattan 73-68 in the MAAC women’s tourney title game to earn an automatic bid to this week’s NCAA tournament. The Stags have now won 15 games in a row and will be facing #2 seed Texas on Friday in Austin. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Fairfield SR Sydney Lowery about that incredible winning streak and winning the conference tourney.
You scored more than 2000 PTS in high school: what is the secret to being a great scorer? Hard work is probably the easiest way to put it. I used to get up and have 6AM workouts with my shooting coach Levern Gaskin: he was the one who taught me how to shoot. It took a lot of time for me to master my shot, but I stayed consistent and did not give up. When I started to see the results, I realized I could be good at this game. Honestly, my “gym rat” mentality is what drove me to be the all-time leading scorer at St. Luke’s.
You began your college career at BC: why did you decide to transfer, and what made you choose Fairfield? While I immensely enjoyed my experience at Boston College, when we were sent home due to the pandemic I had a lot to consider. Being from the Fairfield County area, it was vital for me to continue doing what I love (which is playing basketball) while being close enough to home to support my mother (who has serious health complications). Leaving the community that I built and teammates that I love was not an easy choice. Still, my family means the world to me and I wanted my mom to be able to see me play. With the extra year of eligibility, that dream became a reality. My mother was front and center on my senior night!
You play for Coach Joe Frager (who is retiring this month after 24 years as a coach): what makes him such a good coach, and what is the most important thing that you have learned from him so far? Coach Frager has always wanted to make sure I was happy since I stepped foot on campus. I appreciate how he never gave up on me. There would be times this season where it would be a tough start to a game, and he would still call plays for me to get me going. Having a coach who has confidence in you as a player, who does not give up on you during your most challenging nights, is something most players do not experience. That is one thing I think that makes him a good coach. One thing I learned from him was to enjoy the moment. He could tell when I would get mad at myself and would come up to me and remind me how important it was to stay in the moment: that is a lifelong lesson I will never forget.
You graduated from BC with a bachelors’ degree in Political Science and Sociology and are now pursuing a masters’ degree in Business and Management: what is the post-graduation plan? I want to stay connected to college basketball. I see coaching as my best option and something I am genuinely passionate about. I would be able to provide a different perspective (having played in two conferences), which will only add to what I can offer as a coach. I was lucky enough to have great mentors around me and I want to pay it forward to young women trying to find their own place in the game. College basketball is tough: I had to balance many challenging situations both on and off the court that helped make me into the strong woman I am today. I never want to hear that a young woman’s love for the game disappears because of a lack of support. If I can help another college athlete, then I want to support them the same way that my mentors/coaching staff supported me.
Last Saturday you had 18 PTS/3 STL in a 5-PT win over Manhattan and were named to the All-Tournament Team: how were you able to play your best when it mattered the most, and what did it mean to you to win the title? I prayed for moments like this. I have such an amazing support system always backing me up. They believed in me and it was time that I believed in myself. I have had years of training and this was the moment to show it. Winning the title means a lot. I have dedicated so many years to the game (pretty much my whole life!) and I am so blessed to see my hard work pay off.
You made all 4 of your 3-PT attempts in the title game: what is the key to making shots from behind the arc? The key is repetition and being open to feedback. I have put up thousands of shots during the summer and regular season. Basketball is a long haul, and for me to have that much success it all boils down to muscle memory and practicing how you want to perform in a game setting.
What was the reaction like after you got back to campus? Everyone was so happy for us. It was great seeing how many people have supported us. It was even better to hear from people I did not know who followed us!
Since losing at Siena in late-January your team has won 15 games in a row: has it reached a point where people expect you to win every time you step onto the court? That might be the mentality of people watching us, but we know it is harder to be the #1 seed. It is great…but it is also the time when you will get the best out of your opponent because they have nothing to lose since they are the underdog. My dad always told me, “It is easier to get a spot than to keep it,” and that still rings true to this day. We got every team’s best shot this season, especially towards the end. Our coaches always reminded us before every practice and during games how important every game was because we never wanted to lose who we were as a program. We still had more to prove.
Your teammate Lou Lopez-Senechal scored almost 20 PPG this year: how crucial has she been to your team’s success? Lou has been great this season. She is a very talented player, and I know she will be great wherever she decides to play next. Having the leading scorer in the league has helped us get to where we are, and her ability to score at all three levels has helped our team’s success.
How do you feel about facing Texas on Friday? We earned our spot in the NCAA Tournament through our hard work so making it to the NCAA Tournament is a massive accomplishment for us. We will do whatever it takes to win and enjoy this experience as a team. We were unsure where we would end up because there are so many other teams who had very successful seasons. We are just happy to be a part of the process and look forward to the games to come.