Box Score

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. -- Justin Jenkins came off the bench to score a team-high 16 points, one of three Stags in double figures, as the Fairfield University men's basketball team dropped a 67-64 decision to Niagara University at Webster Bank Arena.

This game was not very different from last Sunday's meeting when the Purple Eagles scored a four-point win over the Stags on their home court. Today's version featured eight lead changes and four ties, keeping the more crowd of 3,376 entertained from the opening tip. Fairfield University welcomed the town of Newtown to today's game which included hundreds of youth basketball players who participated in pregame and halftime activities, as well as a meet-and-greet with the Stags team after the game.

The home team took command of the game early, building an eight-point lead in the first seven minutes of the game. After two Maurice Barrow free throws at the 12:21 mark, Fairfield was on the good side of an 18-10 score. Derek Needham scored five points during that opening run with a three-point field goal and a pair of free throws.

Niagara would find its offensive form over the next four minutes, using a 12-2 run to take its first lead since the opening possession as Antoine Mason's three pointer put the Purple Eagles over the top at 22-20 with 8:24 to play. Fairfield tied the game on the next possession off a layup from Jenkins, but Niagara answered with free throws from Mason to take the lead at 24-22 with seven minutes left. The Eagles would lead by as many as six points with 21 seconds left at 37-31 before Barrow's put-back layup beat the buzzer to make it a 37-33 Niagara lead at halftime.

Fairfield erased that halftime deficit in the opening minute, courtesy of a jumper and a three-point field goal from Marcus Gilbert on the team's first two possessions of the half. Niagara responded with four points of its own to grab a three-point edge which was promptly disappeared off Derek Needham's three-point field goal. The lead would reach three points off two free throws from Needham for a 44-41 advantage. The Purple Eagles scored the next nine points to recapture its six-point lead at 50-44 with 11:56 remaining.

Niagara would secure a seven-point lead at 56-49 but the Stags rallied with an 11-3 spurt to put Fairfield in front 60-59 with 5:35 remaining, the last time the team would lead in this game. Juan'ya Green responded with a layup following a steal from Mason that made it a 61-60 score with 3:35 remaining. Niagara would lead by no more than three points the rest of the way, but the Stags could not find the tying points at any point in the closing minutes.

Mason finished the game with 17 points to lead all scorers, making all 12 of his free throws in the game. T.J. Cline came off the bench to tally 12 points for the visitors. Needham and Barrow were the Stags other double-digit scorers with 10 points each. Barrow just missed a double-double with a game-high nine rebounds.

Fairfield takes the court again on Friday, January 18 when it travels to Iona College for a nationally-televised game on ESPNU.