LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. – The Fairfield University men's basketball team fell to Rider University on the road by a 73-65 score. Maurice Barrow tallied a game-high 22 points for Fairfield as the Stags bench outscored the Rider reserves by a 33-17 count.

As has been the case in recent years, Fairfield and Rider locked up in a good match up with the biggest lead in the half standing at six points. The Stags took their only lead of the first half on their first possession when KJ Rose netted a three-point field goal just 45 seconds into the game. Rider scored the next seven points to take a four-point edge at 7-3 with 16:25 on the clock.

Throughout the half, Rider would build a small lead and the Stags would come back to keep within a possession. The Stags tied the game at 22-22 with just over four minutes left after Maurice Barrow made a pair of free throws. The Broncs took their biggest advantage of the half at 30-24 but Fairfield ended the half with a 6-2 spurt that brought the team within two points at 32-30 by intermission.

Rider opened the second half by scoring seven of the first nine points that allowed the home team to open up its biggest lead of to that point at 39-32 just two minutes into the period. Daniel Stewart was responsible for five of those points with a jumper and a three-point play. The Stags cut into that lead by making three of four free throws on consecutive possessions to make it a 39-35 game, but Rider answered with five more points to bring the lead to nine points at 44-35 with 15:55 left.

Fairfield wrapped a three pointer from Barrow and a three-point play from Maurice Gilbert around a pair of Rider free throws to nearly cut the lead in half at 46-41 with 15:08 on the clock. The Broncs went on a 10-4 run over the next four minutes to gain a double-digit lead at 56-45, half of which came from the free throw line. Khalil Alford made three shots after he was fouled behind the three-point line and Jimmy Taylor added two more charity tosses to complete the run.

Rider would lead by as many as 12 points in the game, holding a 60-48 advantage at the 9:57 mark. The Stags would bring the deficit to under 10 on several occasions but could not close the gap to less than six points the rest of the way.

Marcus Gilbert added 15 points to the Fairfield cause while he and Barrow tied for the top spot in rebounding with eight caroms. Stewart led all Rider scorers with 18 points and added nine rebounds.

Fairfield returns to action when it hosts Monmouth University on Friday night at Webster Bank Arena. Game time is 7 pm and will be televised on ESPN3.