WEBSTER BANK ARENA -- There are certain characteristics that a coach looks for in his players such as heart and maturity. Head Coach Sydney Johnson saw those things in his student-athletes on Friday night against Quinnipiac, but the effort came up one point short. In the end, the Stags dropped a 60-59 decision to the Bobcats at Webster Bank Arena.

"This team showed enough heart to fill up the arena," Coach Johnson said. "I think our ability to come back from 11 point and eight point deficits in the second half showed our maturity. Still, we came up a point short but I think the effort was certainly there."

The heart shown was a result of the Stags playing without two of their big men against a team which is one of the nation's top rebounding squads. Amadou Sidibe and Malcolm Gilbert did not dress for this game, making Fairfield shorthanded in the front court. And when you coupled that deficit with Marcus Gilbert and Mike Kirkland sitting out part of the second half with four fouls, the fact that Fairfield stayed with Quinnipiac showed that maturity noted by Coach Johnson.

Quinnipiac jumped out to an early lead and never looked back for the entire second half. The Bobcats never trailed or were tied in the opening 20 minutes, leading by as many as nine points which occurred a couple of times. By halftime, Quinnipiac enjoyed a solid 30-21 advantage and looked in control.

The visitors did not coast on their first-half success, eventually adding a couple of points to the halftime advantage at 35-24 with 17:38 on the clock. Fairfield cut into that deficit with a 12-4 run over the next five minutes that left it just three points off the pace following a Gilbert three-point field goal. After a Harris layup made it a five-point game, the Stags rallied to tie the score at 42-42 on a pair of Tyler Nelson free throws at the 9:57 mark.

Quinnipiac scored the next eight points highlighted by a three-point field goal from Ayron Hutton to secure a 50-42 edge with 5:56 left in the game. The Stags rallied to tie the score at 52-52 after another pair of free throws from Tyler Nelson with under three minutes remaining. Gilbert followed with a layup to give the Stags their first lead of the game at 54-52. The Bobcats responded with four consecutive points to take the lead for good, the last of which came off a dunk from Drame at the 1:23 mark.

Fairfield tied the game again at 58-58 following two Gilbert free throws, setting up Drame's game-winning shots from the line.

The Stags have little time to rest as they quickly get back into action when they head to Manhattan College for a February 15 game in Riverdale, N.Y. Fairfield will return for its final two home games on February 19 against Niagara and February 21 versus Saint Peter's. Both games will be played at Webster Bank Arena. Tickets can be purchased at the Webster Bank ticket office or by navigating to www.ticketmaster.com.