FAIRFIELD, Conn. – A second-half surge by Loyola University put an end to the Fairfield University men's basketball 11-game winning streak on Friday night, as the Greyhounds erased a seven-point halftime deficit to post a 66-65 win over the Stags at Reitz Arena. The winning streak was the second longest in school history, coming up short of a 13-gamer during the 1965-66 campaign.

 

            The Stags scored the first six points of the game behind four points from Ryan Olander and a basket from Yorel Hawkins. Loyola scored its first points two minutes into the game when Josh Wiegand laid the ball in which cut the lead to 6-2.

 

            Fairfield used a 7-2 run to assume its biggest lead of the game at 13-4, as Maurice Barrow scored four points and Olander added three more markers. The Greyhounds climbed back into the game using a soft touch from behind the three-point arc. The first long-range jumper came from J'hared Hall at the 10:32 mark, which cut the Stags lead to five at 17-12. Hall added another three pointer a few minutes later to complete a 6-2 spurt that cut the lead to one point at 19-18 with 8:25 on the clock.

 

            Lyndon Jordan gave the Stags a small cushion with his own three-point basket on the team's next possession, pushing the edge back to four points at 22-18. Brian Rudolph's driving lay up pulled the home team within a pair of points at 22-20, but Jordan answered the Greyhounds' threat with back-to-back three pointers to make the score 28-20 with 4:31 on the clock.

 

            The Greyhounds scored five straight points, the last of which came off Robert Olson's three pointer which pulled the team within three at 28-25. Derek Needham responded with a three-point field goal which raised the advantage to six points. The Stags would eventually improve their lead to seven points by half time, taking a 35-28 lead into the locker room.

 

            Loyola started the second half by scoring eight of the first 10 points which allowed the team to come within three points at 37-36 with 16:51 on the clock.  Barrow finally stopped the Greyhound run with a lay up that increased the edge to three points at 39-36. The Stags would eventually rebuild its lead back to its biggest margin after Needham hit a three pointer to make the score 47-38 with 14 minutes remaining.

 

            The Greyhounds took control at that point by scoring the next five points, all of which came off the hands of Justin Drummond. The Stags stopped the run with a lay up from Colin Nickerson, but Drummond and Etherly came back with back-to-back baskets to pull within two points at 49-47 with 12 minutes left.

 

            Edney gave the Stags a five-point lead when he hit a jumper and added one of two free throws on another possession to make the score 52-47. Loyola put together seven straight points to take its first lead of the game at 54-52 with Brian Rudolph capping the run with a lay up that put his team in front. The Stags tied the game at 54-54 courtesy of a Edney hoop.

 

            Loyola would take the lead two more times but Fairfield came right back to tie the game each time at 58-58 and 61-61. Needham's three-point basket knotted the score at 61 with 4:46 remaining, and represented the last points either team would score until Hall made a three pointer with 2:02 on the clock for a 64-61 Greyhound lead.

 

            Fairfield broke a four-plus minute scoring drought when Hawkins made a free throw with five seconds remaining to pull the team within two at 64-62. He intentionally missed the second, but Loyola was awarded the ball when his shot failed to hit the rim. The Greyhounds put the game out of reach when Shane Walker slammed down a court-long pass for a 66-62 lead. Needham made a three-pointer at the buzzer to finish the scoring at 66-65.

 

            Needham finished the game with a team-high 14 points, while Barrow added a career-best 13 markers for the Stags. Hall also tallied 14 points to pace the Loyola offense.

 

            The Stags will play the second of its four-game road swing on Monday night when they head to Rider University for a 7 pm game.