CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – In the one of the greatest atmospheres in college basketball, Head Coach Sydney Johnson and his Stags showed a national television audience that the 2015-16 edition of Fairfield University basketball is ready to make a statement this year. For nearly 30 minutes, the Stags hung with the top-ranked team in the nation before the University of North Carolina closed out Fairfield by a 92-65 score at the Dean E. Smith Center.

                Don't let the final score fool you. This game was closer than that score indicates as the Stags trailed by only eight points at halftime and by just 11 points with 12 minutes left in the game. Fairfield did it with effort as it took everything that the Tar Heels dished out but kept coming back for more. Every time that North Carolina tried to make a big run, Fairfield battled back.

                “I thought we competed, that was the best thing we did today," Head Coach Sydney Johnson said. "It was a bigger spread that we wanted. We came here wanting to win and knew that was a huge challenge. But I was very impressed with our competitiveness.”

                Marcus Gilbert showed the basketball world what he can do by scoring 25 points, the only student-athlete to hit the 20 mark on either team. He shot better nearly 50 percent from the floor by netting eight of 18 field goal attempts. He eventually fouled out as did freshman Jonathan Kasibabu who received his first collegiate start against the Tar Heels. He showed his ability around the glass by collecting 10 rebounds including four on the offensive side of the court. And, Jerome Segura added eight assists to his four points and five rebounds.

"You've got to win some when you don't play your best but give them credit," North Carolina Head Coach Roy Williams said. "Marcus Gilbert was really good. He was hard for us to handle, and their zone gave us problems. I think their little guard, Segura [Jerome], he really becomes a problem because he penetrates so deep, and he's still looking for shooters when he does that. Some guys that penetrate deep, they're also looking for either the drop off or their own shot, but when he was penetrating deeply he was looking for the shooters outside.”

                North Carolina jumped out to a 9-2 lead in the first three minutes of the game before Fairfield came back with a 7-2 run to make it an 11-9 game with 14 minutes left in the first half. Gilbert, Jerome Segura and Tyler Nelson combined for the seven points. The Stags stayed close for the next eight minutes as well, coming as close as two points at 26-24 after a three-point shot from Gilbert at the 6:42 mark.

                After North Carolina added a field goal from Nate Britt but Gilbert answered with another three pointer to bring the Stags within a point at 28-27 with six minutes on the clock. With the score 32-29, North Carolina scored eight straight points to secure its first double-digit lead at 40-29 with 1:44 remaining. Fairfield would pull within eight points at halftime when Jerry Johnson Jr. made a step-back three pointer at the buzzer, making the score 40-32 at intermission.

                The second half proved no different for the Stags as they remained within eight points over the first seven minutes of the half. Scott King Jr. made a three-point field with 13:49 remaining in the game that brought the Stags back within eight points at 54-46. Britt answered with his own three pointer to build the lead back to double digits at 57-46. The remained lead remained at 11 points when Gilbert's three pointer pushed the score to 64-53 with 9:37 on the clock.

                The Tar Heels would go on a 16-7 run over the next four minutes to put the game out of reach at 77-57 with five minutes remaining in the game.

                The Stags will play their third straight game away from home when they travel to Northwestern University on Wednesday night.