WEBSTER BANK ARENA – It was a coming of age game for the young Fairfield University men's basketball team. It was a game that offered opportunities to build leads, pull through adversity, and allow new faces to emerge offensively and defensively. And most important, it was a win. The Fairfield University men's basketball team posted an 80-72 overtime win over the University of South Dakota on the final day of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, ending a three-game slide that included a pair of setbacks in this tournament.

                Two newcomers showed just what they can do while a pair of veterans continued to lead this team on both ends of the court. Freshman Tyler Nelson earned his first collegiate start and responded with a game-high 24 points in a team-best 41 minutes of work. Transfer Mike Kirkland enjoyed his finest day in a Fairfield uniform as well with a stat line that included 20 points, eight rebounds, and six assists in 39 minutes.

                Not to be forgotten, juniors Marcus Gilbert and Amadou Sidibe also reached double figures. Sidibe posted his second double-double of the season with 14 points and 12 rebounds, while Gilbert hit double figures for the fifth straight game by netting 12 points. Sidibe earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team.

                Fairfield only trailed for 23 seconds in this game, building leads throughout the game only to see South Dakota battle back to tie the game. The Stags opened the game with a three pointer from Marcus Gilbert and never really looked back. The home team enjoyed a nine-point lead by the 14-minute mark at 16-7. The advantage reached 11 points at 21-10 after a layup from Jerome Segura, but South Dakota made the first of several runs during the day. The Coyotes netted nine straight points to pull within two points, but the Stags posted a pair of free throws to end the run.

                South Dakota continued to come at the Stags and managed to tie the game by halftime at 29-29. The Coyotes came out in the second half and tallied the first points of the period off a layup from Tre Burnette. That basket gave South Dakota its only lead of the game, an edge which went away on the next possession as Nelson nailed a three pointer to make it 32-31.

                Once again, Fairfield slowly built upon their lead until it reached 11 points at 68-57 with 4:34 on the clock. But as mentioned earlier, the Stags hit adversity right smack in the face and were unable to score over the final four minutes of regulation. That slump allowed South Dakota to score the final 11 points and tie the game at 68-68 by the second half buzzer.

                Overtime was never really an issue for Fairfield as it put up the first four points to take command 72-68. The Stags tacked on an 8-2 spurt after that to hold an 80-70 advantage as Sidibe scored six points and Kirkland added four markers.

                The schedule grants the Stags five days off until their next game, a road contest against Northeastern on November 29. Fairfield returns home on December 1 for a match up with Bucknell. The game will be played at Webster Bank Arena beginning at 7 pm. Tickets are available at the Webster Bank Arena box office or by visiting www.ticketmaster.com