Box Score

                BRIDGEPORT, Conn. –  Derek Needham scored a career-high 32 points, making 11 of 16 field goals and six of 11 three pointers, to lift the Fairfield University men's basketball team to a 77-69 win over Niagara University. The point total was the most by a Stag since Mike Evanovich also posted 32 points in an overtime win against George Mason University in the 2010 CollegeInsider Tournament.

                Niagara opened the game with four points to take an early advantage. Derek Needham put together his own personal scoring string with five straight points to give the Stags the first lead of the game at 5-4 with 18 minutes remaining in the game. There would be five more lead changes the rest of the half until the 8:28 mark.

                Fairfield gained the lead a few minutes earlier after Rakim Sanders made a jumper at the 10:57 mark to put the team in front 17-16. Neither team managed any points until there was 8:28 left in the first half when Malcolm Lemmons laid the ball in the basket to give the Purple Eagles an 18-17 advantage. Niagara would not give up the lead the rest of the half, leading by as many as five points with 1:45 on the clock.

                The Stags cut the lead down to a point over the next 60 seconds as Ryan Olander and Rakim Sanders both converted one-and-one opportunities to make the score 32-31 with 28 seconds remaining. Lemmons struck again with two seconds remaining, hitting a running one-hander in the middle of the paint to send Niagara into the locker room with a 34-31 edge.

                Sanders and Needham paced the Fairfield offense with 12 and 10 points, respectively. Needham made four of six field goal attempts and two of four three-point shots before having to sit the final five minutes with two fouls. Lemmons was the only Niagara scorer to reach double figures, netting 11 points in the opening 20 minutes.

                The second half started well for the Stags as they scored the first four points of the half off a Sanders dunk and a Needham layup and took the lead at 35-34. It would be the first of seven consecutive lead changes between the two teams as they exchanged baskets on seven straight possessions. The Purple Eagles broke serve when they were only able to make one of two free throws which kept Fairfield in front by a point at 44-43.

                Fairfield finally made a slight separation from its opponent with a 12-4 run that was capped by Wade's three pointer that put the home team in front 56-47 with 7:30 remaining. Niagara made a quick run to cut the lead to five points at 58-53 with four minutes left. Antoine Mason scored four points during that spurt, but Needham knocked down a three pointer to push the lead back to eight points at 61-53 with 3:55 on the clock.

                The exclamation on this result came with three minutes to go when Needham beat the shot clock buzzer with a three pointer as he was falling out of bounds, giving Fairfield its biggest lead at 64-55.Needham eclipse the 30-point mark when he made a pair of free throws to improve the lead to 66-56 with two minutes left.

                Sanders finished the game with another double-double, tallying 14 points and 14 rebounds. Wade also reached double figures with 15 points, highlighted with three three-point baskets. Ameen Tanksley registered a double-double for Niagara with 12 points and 12 rebounds, while Mason led all Purple Eagle scorers with 16 points.

                The Stags return to action on Sunday afternoon when they host Siena College for a 3:30 tip at Webster Bank Arena.