Box Score BUFFALO, N.Y. – Marcus Gilbert scored a team-high 26 points as the Fairfield University men's basketball team finished up its two-game swing through upstate New York with a 90-78 loss to Canisius College on Saturday afternoon.

The Stags wasted little time in getting things going against Canisius, hitting their first two shots from three point range and grabbing an early 6-2 lead. Each starter hit his first shot of the game as Fairfield opened the half by making five of seven shots which allowed them to build a small 10-7 edge at the first media timeout.

Fairfield continued to add to its lead and secured an eight-point edge after Doug Chappell netted a three pointer that made the score 17-9 with 15:11 remaining. The Stags still owned the eight-point edge at 20-12 before Canisius used a small 9-2 spurt that closed the gap to just one point at 22-21 with 10:10 remaining. Maurice Barrow gave the Stags some room with a three-point field on their next possession, but Phil Valenti scored on back-to-back possessions to tie the game at 25-25 with nine minutes remaining.

The Stags would score the next five points on a three-point play by Barrow and a pair of charity tosses from Marcus Gilbert for a 30-25 edge. The Golden Griffs tallied the next six points to grab their first lead of the game at 31-30, four of those points coming from Dominique Raney. The Stags responded with a 15-2 run that pushed the visitors to their biggest lead of the game at 45-33 with 2:38 remaining in the half. Six different Stags scored during that run, including three pointers from Barrow and Rose.

Fairfield would not score for the rest of the half and would go scoreless over the first three minutes of the second half which enabled Canisius to score 12 straight points to tie the game at 45-45 with 17:13 left. Rose stopped the Canisius streak with a running one-hander that put the Stags in front at 47-45 but Chris Manhertz's dunk tied the game just a few seconds later.

The Stags gained back some of the momentum when Marcus Gilbert completed a four-point play, hitting a three pointer at the top of the key and adding a free throw after he was fouled on the release making the score 51-47.

At the 14:22 mark, a play underneath the Canisius basket resulted in contact between the players after the play which result in four technical fouls being called. Three of the technicals were whistled against Fairfield with two going against Rose. Jordan Heath was called for the Canisius technical foul. Marcus Gilbert made both free throws for the Stags while Billy Baron netted five of six attempts for Canisius, pulling the home team within a point at 53-52.

The two teams exchanged a pair of free throws on the next possessions which kept the Stags in front by a point, 55-54. Canisius scored the next four points to take a three-point lead, a lead which they would not give up the rest of the way.

The Golden Griffs would never look back from that point, building a lead that would reach 13 points before eventually setting for the 12-point win.