BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – Almost single-handedly, junior Marcus Gilbert nearly willed the Fairfield University men's basketball team to victory. Gilbert scored all 18 of his points in the second half which included 14 straight points that helped the Stags close a 10-point deficit to two points at one point. But in the end, Fairfield felt short of a complete come back as the team fell to Belmont University by a 73-61 score at Webster Bank Arena.

                The Stags could not have asked for a better start to this game as they accounted for the first seven points of the game. Amadou Sidibe netted the first four points before Tyler Nelson made the first of his four three-point field goals to account for the lead. The Bruins battled back with a run of eight points to take the lead at 8-7 with 13:08 remaining as back-to-back three pointers from Amanze Egekeze and Nick Smith was responsible for most of the run.

                Steve Johnston halted that scoring streak by Belmont with his own three pointer that pushed the Stags back in front at 10-8. Kevin Degnan added another long-range jumper that raised the lead to five points at 13-8. The Stags remained in front at 15-11 with 11:14 remaining after another Degnan layup but it would be the last points scored by the Stags for nearly six minutes. That drought allowed the visitors to put together a 10-0 run that gave Belmont its biggest lead to that point at 21-15 with seven minutes remaining.

                Fairfield rallied to tie the game in the closing minutes as Nelson's three pointer made it a 25-25 game with 1:51 on the clock. Belmont rallied for four points in the next minute before Degnan's layup closed the scoring and sent the Bruins into the locker room with a 29-27 edge.

                Belmont opened the second half with a 12-3 spurt that regained a double-digit lead for the team at 41-30 with 16 minutes remaining in the game. The lead remained in double figures at 43-33 after a free throw from Degnan, but Marcus Gilbert took control of the game at the point. The junior scored Fairfield's next 14 points that rallied the team to within two points during his scoring streak.

After Fairfield cut the lead to two points at 45-43 with 12:26 remaining, Evan Bradds used a traditional three-point play to slow the Stags, a play that touched off a 7-0 Belmont run that pushed the score to 52-43 with 10:57 on the clock. Fairfield would come as close as two points one more time at 56-54 after a free throw from Johnston. Once again, Belmont would rally to regain its double-digit lead by scoring 10 of the next 12 points to bring the score to 66-56 with three minutes remaining.

                Four Fairfield student-athletes scored 10 points or more in the game, led by Marcus Gilbert's 18 points. Tyler Nelson was next in line with 14 points as Degnan and Sidibe added 12 and 10 points, respectively. Belmont also had four players in double figures, led by Bradshaw's 15 points. Bradds added 13 points while Smith posted 12 points off the bench for the Bruins.

                Next up for Fairfield is a Monday night match up with the University at Albany as the Stags and the Great Danes will tip off at 7 pm in Albany.