WEBSTER BANK ARENA – A career performance from K.J. Rose and a good offensive effort from Marcus Gilbert was not enough for the Fairfield University men's basketball to overcome a late surge from Bucknell University as the Bison posted a 72-66 decision over the Stags in overtime. Rose tallied a personal-best 26 points while Gilbert made six of seven shots enroute to a 17-point night.

                Fairfield trailed by eight in the first half, overcame the deficit to take a double-digit lead in the second half before seeing the advantage evaporate in the closing minutes of regulation. The Bison outscored the home team by a 25-19 margin in the five-minute overtime to pick up the win.

                The game did not start in Fairfield's favor as the visitors were able to build a small lead in the opening minutes. After a three-point play by Tyler Nelson gave Fairfield its first lead of the game at 3-2, the Bison went on an 11-3 run that pushed the team to a seven-point lead at 13-6. Nana Foulland tallied five of those points for Bucknell.

                K.J. Rose took over the game from that point and single-handedly brought Fairfield back in this game. The guard put together five straight points with a driving layup and a three-point shot to make it a 13-11 Bucknell lead with 10 minutes remaining. After a Bison free throw, Rose added another bucket to close the gap to a point at 14-13. Bucknell padded its lead with a hoop before Mike Kirkland Jr. netted a shot followed by a three-point field goal from Rose that put Fairfield in front 18-16 with 6:33 remaining in the opening half.

                The Stags defense really stepped up during this run by blocking shot after shot that led to transition baskets and frustrated the Bison offense. Fairfield would eventually build an eight point lead with 1:31 left at 24-16. Bucknell's Dom Hoffman ended the run with a jumper that stopped a seven-plus minute scoreless run for the visitors. And that's how the half ended with Fairfield taking a 24-18 lead at intermission.

                Bucknell was able to shave off a pair of points off that halftime deficit, coming within four points at 27-23 with 17:46 on the clock. Malcolm Gilbert would regain the six-point edge with a pair of free throws that would kick start a 7-0 run that gave the Stags their first double-digit lead of the game at 36-25 with 12:15 remaining.

                Fairfield's lead would reach 12 points after a three-point play from Coleman Johnson, making the score 39-27 at the 11:24 mark. Bucknell began to find its offensive touch at that point of the game, methodically cutting into the lead over the next 10 minutes. The Bison hung within eight points at the eight-minute mark, trailing 41-33. The Bison went on an 11-6 spurt that ended with a three-point field goal from Hass, bringing the score to 47-44 with 1:56 left.

                After Fairfield missed a pair of free throws, J.C. Show stepped up and made a top-of-the-key  three pointer that tied the game at 47-47 with 1:19 on the clock. Both teams came up with defensive stops on the next possessions which gave Fairfield the ball with 32 seconds remaining in regulation. After a Fairfield timeout, the Stags had two opportunities to win the game. Rose missed a driving layup but Bucknell was called for travelling after getting the rebound with a second left. Fairfield put the ball in the hands of Tyler Nelson, but his jumper fell off the rim and sent the game into overtime.

                Bucknell picked up a defensive stop on the first possession of overtime, setting up the opportunity to take the lead. Steven Kaspar took advantage and made a three-point field goal to give Bucknell its first lead since 16-15. Already up by three points, Bucknell's Foulland added a three-point play to push the lead to six points, 53-47 with 3:34 in the overtime.

                Marcus Gilbert stopped the run with a pair of free throws to bring Fairfield within four points, 53-49. Show added a field goal to make it six points again, 55-49, before Rose added another three point shot to pull the Stags within one possession, 55-52. Kaspar scored the next five points for Bucknell with a three pointer and a pair of free throws, giving the visitors a 60-52 advantage with 1:16 remaining.

                Fairfield returns to the court on Friday night when it hosts Manhattan College for a 7 pm game at Webster Bank Arena. The game represents the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) opener for both teams. Tickets can be purchased at the Webster Bank Arena box office or by visiting www.ticketmaster.com.