Box Score 

           BUFFALO, N.Y. – Maurice Barrow scored a career-high 21 points by making nine of 13 field goals, leading the Fairfield University men's basketball team to a 66-45 win over Canisius College. The win extended the Stags winning streak to six games and handed the Griffs their first home loss of the season.
 
            “Mo has flourished and understands what we are asking of him,” Head Coach Sydney Johnson said. “I really like his approach. He is playing like a junior.”
 
            The Stags defense was rather disruptive for the Golden Griffs, not allowing the home team to score in the opening five minutes of the game. While the defense kept Canisius off the scoreboard, the Fairfield offense was clicking right from the opening possession.
 
            Derek Needham put the Stags in front with a three-point shot on the team's first attempt of the game. After Colin Nickerson picked up a steal, he was fouled going to the basket and made both free throws. Keith Matthews took it from there and scored six straight points to make 11-0 at the first media timeout.
 
            “We have played good defense most of the way this year,” Johnson said. “We had some bumps against some really good teams. But we are settling in where we want to be defensively right now.”
 
            The Golden Griffs finally got on the scoreboard right after the timeout and quickly scored seven points in less than a minute to pull within 11-7 at the 13:55 mark. Billy Baron's three pointer was followed by back-to-back layups by Chris Manhertz in that run. The Stags stopped that run and ended their own four-minute scoring drought with a jumper from Barrow. He added a layup on the next possession to put Fairfield's lead at eight points, 15-7.
 
            The Stags continued to build on that lead over the next 11 minutes, holding an 18-point advantage twice before settling for a 34-17 advantage by halftime. During that 11-minute stretch, Canisius would score 10 points off just two field goals and six free throws. The Golden Griffs did not score from the floor after Manhertz's layup with 5:27 on the clock.
 
            Fairfield's first-half success was fueled by 14 points from Barrow, accounting for half of the team's 14 first-half baskets. His point total over the first 20 minutes surpassed his season high for scoring which stood at 13 points at Rider on December 9.
 
            The Stags pushed the lead past 20 points when they scored the first four points of the second half to take a 38-17 lead. The Griffs answered with four straight points of their own to return it to the halftime deficit, but the Stags responded with an 8-2 run over the next two minutes to take a 46-23 lead with 13:50 on the clock.
 
            Canisius never broke the 20-point barrier the rest of the way, coming as close as 21 points on several occasions including the final score.
 
            The Stags held Canisius to just three three-point field goals in the game, an accomplishment considering the Griffs average just under 10 three pointers per contest and entered the night ranked second in the nation for three pointers per game.
 
            Derek Needham was the other Stag to reach double figures with 10 points, while Keith Matthews and Josip Mikulic just missed the mark with nine and eight points, respectively. Baron led the Canisius attack with 14 points while Manhertz completed a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds.
 
            “This was a very important one for us and I'm happy we got the win,” Needham said. “Now, we just have to reset mentally and get ready for Saturday.”
 
            Fairfield will finish up its two-game swing though the Buffalo area with an afternoon game against Niagara University on Saturday. The game will be Fairfield's fourth straight road game with one more to follow against Loyola University next week.