WEBSTER BANK ARENA – For most of the season, juniors Amadou Sidibe and Marcus Gilbert have provided a lion's share of the offensive and defensive output for the Fairfield University men's basketball season. Head Coach Sydney Johnson has been waiting for the emergence of more options, and he may have found one tonight.

                Freshman Jerome Segura established a career-high for both assists (5) and minutes (27) while his eight points were just one shy of tying his personal best in that category.  More importantly, the freshman showcased his passing skills and ability to create open shots and helped the Fairfield University men's basketball make several second-half runs before the team fell to Rider University, 62-46, at Webster Bank Arena.

                “I've been saying good things about Jerome since he arrived on campus,” Coach Johnson said. “He keeps getting better which is helping us become a better as a team.”

                On several occasions, Segura found open teammates on a night where the ball just would not go down for the Stags. The team shot 32 percent from the floor mainly because it struggled from behind the three-point line. The Stags made 14 of 29 shots inside the arc, but just three of 25 attempts from outside the arc.

                Sidibe played a critical role in the second half as Fairfield twice erased a double-digit deficit to pull as close as six points on a couple of occasions. The junior finished the game with his third-straight double-double, posting 12 points and 15 rebounds in 35 minutes of work. While Sidibe made his mark inside, Gilbert provided the offensive from beyond 10 feet. The junior just missed a double-double with a game-high 17 points and eight rebounds.

                The Stags and the Broncs were engaged early in the game as the first 10 minutes of the game featured three ties and 23 total points scored. Segura's jumper brought the Stags within a point at 12-11 with 10:09 remaining, but Fairfield would not score another point until the closing seconds of the half. That scoring drought enabled Rider to 10 straight points over the next nine minutes to open up a 22-11 lead with 1:16 on the clock.

                Tyler Nelson's 10-foot jumper ended Fairfield's scoreless spell and brought the game back to a single digit at 22-13 with 45 seconds left in the half. Matt Lopez closed out the first-half scoring with a dunk with 32 seconds left, sending Rider into the locker room with a 24-13 lead.

                Fairfield came out with a more aggressive approach to start the second half with Marcus Gilbert providing the offensive push. The junior scored the team's first 10 points of the second half but Rider was still able to build on its double-digit lead and hold a 36-23 lead after Gilbert's final points of the run.

                Rider's biggest lead was 16 points on a few occasions, the last of which came at 44-28 with 12 minutes remaining. But Gilbert, Sidibe, and Segura combined for the next nine Fairfield points which helped the team bring the deficit down to nine points at 46-37 following Sidibe's dunk at the 8:07 mark.

                After Anthony D'Orazio's layup pushed it back to 11 points, Fairfield scored the next five points to bring the deficit down to six points. Doug Chappell, who saw his first minutes since the Duke game, started the run with a driving layup which was followed by a pair of free throws by Gilbert and another charity toss from Sidibe. The Stags were still six points behind at 51-45 with just five minutes left before Rider put the game out of reach with an 11-1 run to close out the game.

                Lopez registered a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds while Zedric Sadler posted 14 points off the bench for Rider.

                The Stags take to the road for a pair of conference games beginning with Sunday's match up at Siena College followed by a game at Iona College on January 13. Fairfield comes back to Webster Bank Arena on January 16 to face Marist College.