It was gut-check time for the Stags.

                Facing an 11-point deficit with five-plus minutes remaining in regulation, the Fairfield University men's basketball team looked within themselves and found the spark that it needed to overcome the double-digit deficit and win the game in overtime. When the final buzzer sounded, Fairfield had won its third home overtime game of the season with a 94-88 decision over Loyola University.

                “I think it was a great win for us,” Marcus Gilbert said. “We gutted it out. We down 13 points but we did not let that faze us. We cut the lead to five or six and kept pushing.

                Gilbert provided a source of energy in this game, who returned to the court for the first time since the Iona game. The forward responded with 27 points, including the game-tying three-point play with 14 seconds left in regulation that send the game into extra time. And what Gilbert did not provide, classmate Coleman Johnson and the freshmen class carried the load.

                “This was one of the best wins we have had in a long time,” Head Coach Sydney Johnson said. “We got great leadership from Marcus. We are a really good team when he is on the floor. Coleman Johnson also was an important for us. And a number of underclassmen chipped in well and played inspired basketball.”

                Coleman Johnson found his shooting touch once again, netting three of four field goals and both free throw attempts for eight points. The freshmen class combined to make 11 of 15 field goal attempts in the game, led by Jerry Johnson Jr.'s 13 points. Jonathan Kasibabu connected on all three field goal attempts, including a three pointer, and added a free throw for eight points.

                After holding a two-point lead at halftime, Fairfield struggled to start the second half. The Stags led 46-45 with 18:25 remaining in regulation, but the Greyhounds would score the next 14 points to take their biggest lead of the game at 59-46 at the 13:05 mark. Tyler Hubbard scored five of those points for Loyola as five different student-athletes put up points during the run.

                The Stags' six-minute scoring drought came to end when Matija Milin finished off a dunk to close the gap to 59-48. A tip-in by Nick Gorski returned the Loyola lead to 13 points, but that would quickly be cut in half with Fairfield's 9-2 spurt that brought the score to 63-57. The Greyhounds would build the lead back to 11 points on a couple of occasions, the last of which came with 5:25 remaining at 72-61, setting up Fairfield's dramatic comeback.

                The Stags scored eight of the next 10 points to bring the deficit down to 76-71 which featured a three-point play by Gilbert and a three-point field goal by Johnson Jr. Andre Walker stopped the run with a pair of free throws, but Fairfield finished the game with seven straight points to tie the game at 78-78 by the end of regulation.

                The two teams started overtime tied at 78-78 but a jumper from Gilbert gave Fairfield its first lead since 44-43 with 18:25 left in the second half. Loyola tied the game following Cam Gregory's layup, but Johnson Jr. answered with his own layup to regain the Fairfield lead. After Jarred Jones tied the game with free throws, Jonathan Kasibabu converted a three-point play on the Stags' next possession that gave the home team a three-point lead, an advantage they would not surrender the rest of the way.

Tyler Nelson scored 19 points to support the Fairfield offense. Five Loyola players reached double figures, led by Chancellor Barnard's 17 points. Jones and Gregory also added 14 points each for the Greyhounds.

Fairfield plays its next two games on the road, beginning with a non-conference match up against Bucknell on December 27. After that game, the Stags return to Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) play with a January 2 matchup at Manhattan College.