Box Score PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Marcus Gilbert scored a team-high 23 points while Maurice Barrow came off the bench to add 20 points as the Fairfield University men's basketball team came up short in a 78-69 decision against Providence College at the Dunkin' Donuts Center on Friday afternoon.

The game was controlled early by Providence as the Friars made their first eight shots of the game, all coming within five feet of the basket. The high-percentage shots enabled the home team to jump out to a 22-10 lead after a pair of free throw from Tyler Harris. Providence continued to build upon that advantage and eventually took its biggest lead of the game at 37-18 with 5:27 on the clock, and still held the same edge with 4:22 remaining at 39-20.

From that point, Fairfield began to chip away at the Friars' lead, finishing the half with a 10-1 run that brought the Stags within 10 points by halftime at 40-30. Coleman Johnson was primarily responsible for the run, scoring the first four points on a jumper and a pair of free throws. Barrow netted the next two points from the free throw line to cut it to 39-26. After Lee Goldsbrough made one of two free throws, Johnson made another jumper and Barrow closed the scoring with two more free throws to make it 40-30.

The Stags defense allowed only one Providence basket over the final six minutes of the half. Marcus Gilbert led all scorers with 10 points in the first half while Johnson tallied eight points in his 12 minutes of work. The Friars scored 13 of their points from the charity stripe while the Stags connected on 11 of 12 free throws.

The second half started in Fairfield's favor as Johnson connected on a 15-footer and Barrow made one of two free throws to pull within seven points at 40-33. The Stags would come as close as six points at 44-38 and 46-40, the last of which came after KJ Rose made a layup at the 14:52 mark. The Friars answered with a 15-2 run that lasted five minutes to regain its 19-point lead at 61-42 with 9:30 on the clock.

The Stags were still not done and made another run at Providence that would shave as many as 10 points off the lead, pulling within nine points at 64-55 with five minutes remaining. Steve Smith energized the latter part of the run with two three-point field goals, the last of which pulled the Stags back to within nine points. Providence put the game out of reach by eight straight free throws that pushed the advantage back to 15 points at 72-57. The Stags would eventually get back to nine points after Barrow's three-point field goal closed the scoring and made the score 78-69.

Johnson finished with 10 points for Fairfield, the third of the Stags' double-digit scorers. All five Providence starters scored in double digits led by Cotton's 24 points. The guard made 18 of 19 free throws in the game,
accounting for nearly half of the Friars' 38 made free throws. Harris was next in line for Providence with 16 points.

Fairfield returns to the court on Friday, December 6 when it opens Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) play at Quinnipiac University. Game time is 8:30 pm with the game being televised on ESPN3. The Stags will host Iona College on Sunday, December 8 at Webster Bank Arena, the team's first home game since hosting Holy Cross on November 20. Tip off is slated for 1:30 pm.