Box Score
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – Derek Needham scored a game-high 16 points while Ryan Olander registered his third double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds, lifting the Fairfield University men's basketball team to its 11th straight win with a 70-43 decision over Saint Peter's College. Fairfield remains the conference's only unbeaten team at 5-0, and owns a 12-3 overall record after the victory.
The Stags never trailed in the first half, opening the game with the first four points. Maurice Barrow put home the first two points, which Colin Nickerson followed with a lay up in the first two-plus minutes. Nick Leon put the Peacocks on the board and cut the lead in half with a lay up at the 16:49 mark. The lead did not go beyond four points for the first 12 minutes of the half, with the Peacocks coming as close as a point at 12-11 with 11:37 on the clock.
Fairfield's offense started to roll at that point and scored 10 straight points to push the lead into double figures at 22-11 with 7:09 remaining. Five of the 10 points came from the free throw line with Derek Needham going four for four from the line during the stretch. Jeron Belin stopped the Saint Peter's offensive drought, pulling the visitors within eight points at 22-14.
The Peacocks came within seven points after Leon's jumper fell through the net, which made the score 26-19 with five minutes left. Fairfield regained its double-digit lead with four consecutive points, all of which came from the charity stripe. The Stags would take their biggest lead of the half when Lyndon Jordan knocked down a three pointer with five seconds on the clock, sending Fairfield into the locker room with a 35-21 advantage.
Saint Peter's scored the first two points of the second half when Ryan Bacon converted a pair of free throws to close the gap to 35-23. Fairfield scored the next five points to take its largest lead to that point at 40-23 with 17:40 remaining. The Peacocks came as close as 13 points a few minutes later when Belin scored off a three-point shot to make the score 42-29 with 15:50 showing on the clock.
Once again, Fairfield used a string of points to build on its lead. This time, the Stags netted seven consecutive points to push the lead to 20 points for the first time at 49-29 at the 12:58 mark.
Belin connected on a couple of free throws a few minutes later to stop a three minutes scoreless streak, bringing the lead to under 20 points at 49-31. Fairfield scored 10 of the next 12 points to bring the lead to 26 points at 59-33 at the eight-minute mark. Ryan Olander put together four points during that stretch.
Fairfield's lead would reach as many as 31 during the second half, holding a 69-38 advantage with 3:36 left in the game.
