Box Score 

ROSEMONT, Ill. – Derek Needham scored a season-high 29 points including 13 in the second half as the Fairfield University men's basketball team dropped an 85-78 decision to DePaul University.
 
Fairfield scored the first points of the game when Maurice Barrow laid the ball in the basket just 43 seconds into the game. DePaul took early control of the game by scoring the next nine points with seven coming from Cleveland Melvin.
 
The Stags answered by wrapping three-point field goals from Josip Mikulic and Derek Needham around another hoop from Melvin which brought Fairfield within three points at 11-8.  The Blue Demons rebuilt its lead with a 10-3 run that included baskets from four different student-athletes that inflated the lead to 10 points at 23-13 with 12:07 remaining in the half.
 
Fairfield played their Big East opponent closely the rest of the way, outscoring the Blue Demons by a 24-22 count over the final 12 minutes of the half. The Stags came as close as eight points on two occasions, the last of which came at the halftime buzzer as they went into the locker room trailing 45-37.
 
Needham led all Fairfield scorers with 16 points, making five of seven shots from the floor. He was one of several Stags to shoot well in the half as the squad shot 50 percent from the field (12 of 24) as well as from behind the arc (5 of 10).
 
DePaul began the second half with a 12-4 spurt that brought the lead to 57-41 with 16:44 on the clock. Fairfield once again cut into the lead with long range shooting as both Maurice Gilbert and Needham netted three pointers which helped Fairfield to come within 12 points at 62-50 with 13 minutes remaining.
 
The Stags continued to cut into the DePaul lead, bringing it to 10 points at 76-66 following Marcus Gilbert's dunk at the 5:33 mark. Needham made it still closer with jumpers on back-to-back possessions to bring the visitors within six points at 76-70 at the 3:36 mark. A jump hook by Donnavan Kirk stemmed some of the momentum to make it a 78-70 game with 3:20 remaining. Needham connected on his fourth three pointer that made it a five-point game at 78-73.
 
The Blue Demons would build their lead back to nine points in the final seconds, holding an 85-76 edge with 22 seconds left. Colin Nickerson closed out the scoring with a give-and-go layup off a pass from Mikulic that ended the game.
 
Amadou Sidibe finished with a double-double by tallying 11 points and 11 rebounds, while Keith Matthews chipped in with 10 points.
 
Fairfield will finish its month-long road trip on December 1 when it heads to Austin Peay University.