Box Score

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- Derek Needham scored a game-high 19 points, while Rakim Sanders just missed a double-double with nine points and 15 rebounds, lifting the Fairfield University men's basketball team to a 59-51 win over Old Dominion on Friday night. The game was part of the Hall of Fame Holiday Showcase, played at the MassMutual Center.

Fairfield controlled this game from the outset, trailing just once when the Monarchs scored on their first possession of the game. Following Chris Cooper's layup, Fairfield tallied the next six points to take the lead for good. Sanders tied the score on Fairfield's initial possession, before Maurice Barrow and Adam Jones scored on consecutive touches. The Monarchs cut the lead to two points after Trian Iliadis' three pointer made the score 9-7.

The Stags would answer with Needham's first three-point shot of the game, which started a 10-0 run over the next three-plus minutes to push the team in front by a 19-7 score at the 9:48 mark. After a pair of free throws by Iliadis, the Stags ran off another seven consecutive points to improve their advantage at 26-9 with 4:11 remaining in the opening half.

Old Dominion finally put together a steady flow of offense from that point and finished the half with a 14-3 run that sent the Monarchs into the locker room down six points at 29-23. The visitors scored the last eight points of the half, seven of which came off the hands of Dimitri Batten.

The second half had a similar feel as the opening 20 minutes, at least for the Stags. Needham opened the half with another three pointer that gave his team a nine-point edge at 32-23. After Cooper's jumper from eight feet pulled Old Dominion within seven, Fairfield used a 14-2 run which provided the team with its biggest lead of the game at 46-27 with 12 minutes remaining. Jamel Fields' layup capped that run, a basket which would prove important for the Stags.

After Fields' layup, Fairfield would not score another basket until Ryan Olander slammed a dunk with 2:18 remaining in the game. Despite that 10-minute drought, the Stags never lost their double-figure lead. Old Dominion finally cut the lead to under 10 points after Breon Key's layup with 1:20 on the clock cut Fairfield's lead to 52-44.  The Monarchs would come no closer than eight points the rest of the way, which ended up being the final margin of victory, 57-49.

Needham was the Stags' only double-digit scorer in the game with Sanders finishing second with nine markers. Colin Nickerson, Olander, and Barrow were next in line with six points each. For Old Dominion, Chris Cooper finished with a double-double, registering 10 points and 11 rebounds. Nick Wright also ended the game with 10 points for the Monarchs.

Fairfield returns to the hardwood when it hosts the University of New Hampshire on Sunday at the Webster Bank Arena. Game time is slated for 1 pm. The game will represent Fairfield's first home game since November 20, and the first at the Arena since November 14.