Box Score

ALBANY, N.Y. -- Three Fairfield University student-athletes reached double figures with Derek Needham's 18 points leading the way as the Stags won their fourth straight game with a 64-54 win over Siena College. The victory brought Fairfield back to the .500 mark in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) play at 6-6 and improved its overall record to 14-10. Siena fell to 6-17 overall and 4-8 in conference games.
 
“Whenever you can get a win at Siena, it's a great win,” Head Coach Sydney Johnson said after the game. “Siena has been the class of the league over the years and Mitch has been a big part of it. We knew we had to play well in order to win up here and I think we did play well enough to win.”
 
Fairfield opened the game with a slight lead at 4-3 but Siena scored six straight points to take its biggest lead of the half at 9-4. The Stags slowly sliced into that lead as Needham scored six of Fairfield's next eight points which would eventually kick the Stags in front at 12-11 with nine minutes remaining.
 
            The Saints used the free throw line to get the lead back, when Rakeem Brookings made a pair and Rob Poole added another charity toss for a 14-12 lead. Marcus Gilbert netted a three-point field goal to recapture Fairfield's one-point lead, making it 15-14 with 6:26 on the clock.
 
            The two teams would combine for six lead changes and three ties over the final six minutes, but it would be the Stags taking the lead for the final time before the half. After Rich Audu's three pointer broke a 22-22 tie, the Stags would tally the final five points of the half. Steve Johnston's three pointer tied the game at 25-25, while Desmond Wade's driving layup would give the Stags a 27-25 halftime edge.
 
            Siena tied the game on its opening possession, courtesy of a jumper by Trenity Burdine. Needham gave Fairfield's its biggest lead of the game to that point with a three-point field goal. The Stags would keep that three-point advantage until Audu tied the game with a long-range jumper to make it a 34-34 game with 15:45 on the clock.
 
            The game remained tight for the next four minutes as neither team could gain more than a two-point edge. There would be four more ties during that stretch before Fairfield would break through off Maurice Barrow's jumper for a 43-41 Fairfield advantage with 10 minutes left.
 
            Barrow's basket would start a 9-2 run that finally allowed Fairfield to take command of the game at 50-43 with eight minutes remaining. Siena came no closer than five points from that point -- a pair of free throws by Burdine brought the score to 50-45 with seven minutes remaining. The Stags built their lead to as many as 14 at 59-45 with 2:31 on the clock after Wade's drive to the hoop.
 
            Barrow came off the bench to tally 11 points while Amadou Sidibe added 10 markers for the Stags. O.D. Anosike paced the Siena offense with 15 points, and added eight rebounds to his totals.