Box Score

POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – Keith Matthews scored a team-high 12 points while Yorel Hawkins and Derek Needham each added 11 points as the Fairfield University men's basketball team extended its winning streak to 10 games with a 59-44 win over Marist College. It marked only the second double-digit winning streak in school history, the other reaching 13 during the 1965-66 season.

With the win, Fairfield remains as the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference's (MAAC) only unbeaten team at 4-0 after Saint Peter's (3-1) fell to Iona earlier in the evening.

The Stags aggressiveness on the offensive boards led to the first five points of the game as Maurice Barrows' tip-in was followed on the next possession by a rebound which led to a three-point play from Yorel Hawkins. Fairfield's lead was whittled down to a point a few minutes later as Marist translated a couple of turnovers into points and enabled the home to pull within a point at 7-6 with 15:50 on the clock.

Marist tied the game for the first time when Sam Prescott hit a three-point from the top of the circle, making the score 9-9. But, the Stags regained the lead on their next possession with Derek Needham's driving lay up for an 11-9 advantage at the 14:02 mark. The Stags still held a two-point edge at 13-11 with just over nine minutes remaining, before R.J. Hall scored a NBA-range three-point shot at the shot clock expired to push Marist in front for the first time at 14-13.

Jamel Fields regained the Stags lead when he made a baseline three-point shot that made the score 16-14 with six minutes remaining. Marist tied the score at 16 and at 18, setting up Needham's first three pointer of the game and a 21-18 Fairfield advantage with four minutes left in the half. Hall knocked down his own three pointer to tie the score again, before Hawkins' fade away jumper secured a 23-21 Stag lead. Warren Edney's drive to the hoop doubled the advantage at 25-21 with just over two minutes remaining.

Fairfield would take its biggest lead of the game after Colin Nickerson stole the ball and finished a half-court stroll to the basket with a dunk, pushing the lead to 29-23 with a minute remaining. Neither team would score in the final 60 seconds, sending the Stags into the locker room with the same six-point advantage.

Nickerson opened the second half with his first three-point shot to extend the halftime lead to nine point at 32-23. Needham picked the pocket of Hall on the ensuing possession which ended with a layup and an 11-point margin. Fairfield would continue to build on that lead, as it would reach 16 points at 41-25 after Ryan Olander would score on back-to-back possessions.

Fairfield was able to take control mainly because of a strong defensive effort over the first nine minutes of the second half. Besides outscoring the Red Foxes by a 14-3 count in that time span, the Stags held Marist to only six field goal attempts of which the team made one.

The Stags lead reached 19 points at 45-26 before Prescott put together a mini-run with nine straight points for the home team. He made a three-point shot and followed with three jumpers on consecutive possessions to close the gap to 45-35 with 8:11 on the clock. Keith Matthews stopped that streak with a hook shot in the center of the line with 7:45 remaining. Olander tallied one of two free throws to make it a 13-point lead. Matthews picked up the rebound off the missed charity toss and converted into two points. He followed up with a steal and was fouled going to the basket. He made both free throws to improve the Stags lead to 17 points at 52-35 with 4:32 remaining.

Marist put together a strong of five points to pull within 12 points but Hawkins stopped that comeback with a 12-foot jumper which gave the Stags a 54-40 lead with four minutes left. The lead would hit 17 points at 57-40 before Fairfield settled for its 15-point win.

Prescott led all Marist scorers with a game-high 20 points, including 13 in the second half.

Fairfield will host Saint Peter's College in its next game which takes place Sunday at the Webster Bank Arena at Harbor Yard. Game time is slated for 1 pm.