Box Score BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – No basketball coach or pundit will ever say that one player wins or loses a game. But it would certainly be fair to say that one player can make a difference. And today, senior Marcus Gilbert was the difference as the forward scored 32 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the Fairfield University men's basketball team to a 98-91 win over Iona College at Webster Bank Arena.
To really understand the impact of Gilbert, you only need to rewind to early December when the Stags visited Iona in their Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) opener. Gilbert went down early with an injury and sat on the bench while Fairfield dropped a double-digit decision to the Gaels. Today, Gilbert was ready to turn that game into a distant memory and send the Stags to their 11th win and back to .500 in conference play (5-5).
“I wanted to make a statement because I have not had a lot of good games against them (Iona),” Gilbert said. “It was my last game against Iona and I wanted to come out with a big bang.”
Gilbert did just that as all signs pointed to an offensive showcase. With Iona and Fairfield both averaging just under 79 points per game, the two teams lived up to their reputation to put the ball in the basket. Fairfield could not miss from three-point range to start the game, netting their first four shots from behind the arc to take a 12-2 lead just three minutes into the game. Gilbert was responsible for three of those shots while Tyler Nelson added the fourth which forced Iona to call a quick time out.
The break in play did not slow down Fairfield as it continued to build on its double-digit lead with six straight points out of the timeout. The Stags went inside to score those paint points, getting a hoop from Curtis Cobb, Jonathan Kasibabu, and Kevin Degnan. Iona finally found it rhythm and used a 10-2 run to pull within eight points at 20-12 after Jordan Washington's two free throws.
Iona chipped one more point off the Stags' lead and came within seven points at 26-19 but Fairfield responded with eight straight points including five from Jerry Johnson Jr.to make it a 34-19 game with eight minutes remaining in the half. Fairfield would not relinquish its double-digit lead until the final play of the half as Washington's layup with three seconds remaining brought the score to 50-42 at halftime.
Just as it did in the first half, Fairfield's offense scored at will in the first three minutes to more than double up its halftime advantage at 62-45 with 16:47 left, forcing another Iona time out. Ten of Fairfield's 12 points in that stretch came from Gilbert and Jerome Segura as both student-athletes netted a three-point shot and a layup. A.J. English, Iona's leading scorer at 24 points per game, finally put points on the board four minutes into the second half as he scored eight straight that brought Iona back to within nine at 65-56 at the 15:14 mark.
But the Gaels were not done as they continued to make a run at the Stags and made it a one-possession game after Isaiah Williams' three pointer cut the deficit to three points at 68-65 with just over 11 minutes remaining. The Stags answered back with a 12-2 run highlighted by Gilbert's seventh three pointer of the game that pushed the lead back to double figures at 80-67 with nine minutes on the clock.
Fairfield would hold on to its double-digit lead until the final minute when the Gaels were able to come within five points at 94-89 and 96-91. But the Stags made three of four free throws in the final seconds to secure the victory.
“Iona has been a very good team over the last few years ever since I've been in the league,” Head Coach Sydney Johnson said. “And so for us to reestablish ourselves with this win, shows we are making tremendous forward progress. This is certainly a mark of that progress in beating one of the best teams in the league. I am really proud of our guys and this is a step forward for us today.”
In addition to Gilbert's performance, Fairfield benefitted from another superb game from Tyler Nelson. The sophomore posted 22 points by making eight of 15 shots, his second straight 20-point game and sixth in the last 10 contests. Scott King Jr. came off the bench to lead all Fairfield reserves with 11 points and five rebounds in 16 minutes of work.
Iona's Jordan Washington came off the bench as well and posted a game-high 33 points while Isaiah Williams added 22 points and eight rebounds for the Gaels.
Fairfield will continue its three-game home stand on Friday night when the team hosts Canisius College at Webster Bank Arena. The 7 pm game will broadcast on ESPN3, the third straight game in which Fairfield will be featured on the national network. The home stand ends when the Stags host Quinnipiac University on February 1.
