Box Score BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – It was a senior moment.

Forward Maurice Barrow stood at the free throw line and faced the basket with a chance to give the Fairfield University men's basketball its first Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) victory. And the senior delivered by making two charity tosses to push a two-point edge into a four-point margin of victory as the Stags posted a 71-67 decision over first-place Manhattan College at Webster Bank Arena.

Fairfield trailed only briefly in this game as Manhattan opened with five straight points to take the early lead. The Stags fought back with a 15-2 run that pushed the home team in front at 15-7 with 12:40 remaining. Barrow scored the four points during that run, including the basket that put Fairfield in front for good at 9-7.

The Japsers whittled the lead down to three points a couple minutes later at 17-14 as Ashton Pankey scored four points in that stretch. Fairfield would take control of the game by using a 22-9 run over the final 10 minutes to take a 16-point lead at halftime, 39-23. Justin Jenkins and Barrow each scored five points during that decisive run.

Fairfield's lead would reach 19 points early in the second half at 44-25 with 17:21 remaining. Manhattan nearly erased that disadvantage with an 11-2 spurt that pulled the Jaspers within 10 points at 46-36 with 13:49 on the clock. Jenkins stepped up and netted a three pointer and Barrow followed with a layup for Fairfield that gave the Stags some relief against the Manhattan charge. Manhattan responded with six straight points that brought the visitors within nine points at 51-42 following a layup by Pankey with 11:34 remaining, the first time the lead fell to a single digit since the first half.

The Stags were still up nine with two minutes remaining in the game, but it was in the final 120 seconds that Manhattan made things most interesting. The Jaspers came within seven points after Donovan Kates' three-point field goal made it a 64-57 game. Manhattan continued to cut into the Fairfield lead until it eventually came within a possession at 68-65 following a layup by Michael Alvardo with 12 seconds left.

The Jaspers managed to knock one more point off the deficit at 69-67 after another Alvarado basket at the four-second mark. That set up Barrow's heroics as the senior was fouled two seconds later and promptly made both free throws.

Alvarado led all scorers in the game with 22 points for Manhattan. Maurice Gilbert tallied 17 points in 31 minutes for Fairfield.

The Stags will have little time to rest as they head south for a match up with Belmont University on Monday afternoon for a 2:30 CST game.