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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- The Fairfield University men's basketball team returns to the hardwood on Monday, November 12 in the first round of the NIT Preseason Tip-Off. The Stags will play the University of Virginia in the opening game and either Delaware or Penn in the second round on Tuesday, November 13. The Fairfield-Virginia game will be televised on ESPN3 live.

Fairfield comes off a 64-63 overtime win against Central Connecticut State University in the Connecticut 6 Classic. It marked the fourth straight year that the team opened the season with a win in the Connecticut 6 Classic and the second time it did so against Central Connecticut.

Derek Needham played his first game since injuring his foot against Iona last February and made the most of his appearance. The guard scored a game-high 18 points to lead the team to a win. Keith Matthews was next in line with 15 points, the last of which provided the team with the winning margin. The forward made the first of two free throws to break a 63-63 tie with two seconds remaining and made the first to provide the margin of victory.

The Cavaliers opened their season on the road and fell to George Mason University by a 63-59 count. It was the first time that Virginia lost a season opener since a double-overtime loss to Richmond (83-79) in 1997-98. Joe Harris enjoyed an all-around game that included team-highs for scoring (19), rebounds (8), and three pointers (4). Akil Mitchell was the only other Virginia student-athlete in double figures as he netted 11 points. He also added eight rebounds to his line.

The University of Delaware will take on Penn in the first game of the NIT Preseason Tip-Off at 4:30 pm. Those two teams will meet up with Fairfield and Virginia to comprise the second round game on Tuesday night. Depending on the outcomes, the consolation round of the tournament will be early next week with the site to be determined. The championship round will be November 21 and 23 at Madison Square Garden.