LEWISBURG, Pa. – Since the inception of the three-point field goal into the college game, the Fairfield University men's basketball program had more than 15 three pointers in a game just one time before this season. After Sunday's performance, the Stags have now surpassed that mark twice in the last seven games.

                Fairfield netted 17 of 32 three-point field goal attempts, tying the school record set against Maryland-Eastern Shore on November 24, which sent the Stags to a 101-91 win over Bucknell University. Marcus Gilbert and Tyler Nelson accounted for four three pointers each as seven different student-athletes made a shot from behind the arc.

                “We are going to let it fly,” Head Coach Sydney Johnson said. “We are going to get out in transition and put as much pressure as possible on teams. It's one of the core values of this team and that's why we conditioned so hard this year. If you stop us, then we feel we have some good half court stuff that makes us tricky to guard. But we want to take open court jump shots.”

                In fact, it was the three-point shot that really put this game away for Fairfield, as it fueled a 14-0 run early in the second half that turned the game. The Stags developed a double-digit lead in the first half, leading by as many as 14 points at 32-18 with eight minutes remaining. That advantage was whittled down to two points by intermission and was completely gone when Nate Sestina netted a long-range jumper that gave Bucknell a 46-45 edge just 14 seconds into the half.

                Fairfield kept its composure, a trait which has become apparent all season long, and went to what it knows best. Gilbert, who did not have a field goal in the first half, put Fairfield back in front with a three pointer at the 18:56 mark. The senior would knock down another three-point field goal on the next possession to give Fairfield a 51-46 lead at the 18:30 mark. Nelson kept the momentum going with his own three pointer, which Gilbert followed with his third trey in just over 80 seconds. When the barrage was over, Fairfield regained a double-digit lead at 57-46 with 17:32 on the clock.

                “I thought Bucknell continued to play non-stop,” Johnson said. “But we are kind of used to the back and forth. We have had a great schedule that has prepared for these type of situations. And then we have our main guy out there in Marcus Gilbert. We are a very nice team when we have Marcus on the court. We think he is a high major kid and he could play on a lot of teams. We are very happy he is representing Fairfield University.”

                Bucknell also has a few offensive threats on the roster and those student-athletes fought back to within seven points at 61-54 at the 12:56 mark following a free throw by Ryan Frazier. The Stags answered with a 10-2 run that more than doubled their lead at 71-56 just three minutes later. Nelson had the last six points of that run, both coming from behind the arc.

                Fairfield's lead reached 19 points with six minutes remaining as the score went to 86-67 following a steal and layup by Nelson. Bucknell began to make a late comeback bid which began with a 9-0 run that brought score to a manageable 86-76 with four minutes remaining. Four different Bison scored during the run including Matt O'Reilly, who finished the string with a three pointer.

                The Stags kept at least a 10-point lead from that point until the final minute of the game. With the score 93-83 with 1:16 left, Bucknell made it a two-possession game with 24 seconds left at 96-91 after a Frazer three pointer. But, Fairfield finished out the game with five consecutive points to win it 101-91.

                Gilbert left the court with 16 points while Jerome Segura just missed a double-double with 14 points and nine assists. Jerry Johnson Jr. came off the bench to score 12 points in addition to dishing off four assists without a turnover in 29 minutes. Frazer paced the Bucknell offense with 20 points, one point better than Chris Hass' 19 markers.

The Stags also set or tied a few Sojka Pavillion record this afternoon, breaking the marks for points in a half (56), most assists by a team (24),most three pointers by an opponent (17), and  most assists by an opposing player (Segura with nine). The 17 three pointers tied Bucknell for the most by a team overall in the facility.

                Fairfield returns to the court on January 2 when it resumes Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) play at Manhattan College. Game time is 7 pm.