FAIRFIELD, Conn. -- Two of the top offensive teams in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) will face one another on Friday night when the Fairfield University men's basketball team hosts Canisius College at Webster Bank Arena. The game will tip off at 7 pm and will be broadcast on ESPN3 as part of the MAAC television package.
The men's basketball coaching staff will be wearing gold laces Friday night as part of the Suits and Sneakers campaign supporting Coaches vs. Cancer. Members of the Fairfield University Relay for Life team will be on the concourse collecting donations for the American Cancer Society during the game. Plus, all kids 12 years and younger will receive a free Fairfield Stags rally towel. And, the Fairfield University field hockey and volleyball teams will be honored during the game in celebration of their MAAC championships.
The Stags, who averaged 93 points per game over the last two outings, come into this game ranked second in the conference for scoring offense at 79.7 points per game. The Golden Griffs are next in line with 79.6 points every forty minutes, coming off a 78-point performance against Siena. Both teams have reached the 100-point mark in a game.
Fairfield remains ranked in several national statistical categories, placing 22nd in three-point field goals per game (9.5), 24th in three-point field goals made per game (190), and 30th in assists per game (15.9 apg).
A solid road team, Canisius College comes to Webster Bank Arena with an overall record of 10-11 which includes a 6-6 mark in away and neutral site contests. In fact, the Golden Griffs have won six of their last eight games played away from campus, and have posted victories in four of their last five MAAC road games. Canisius has a 5-5 MAAC record comprised by a 1-4 mark at home and a 4-1 slate on the road.
Canisius dropped its last outing, a 99-78 setback against Siena at home. Phil Valenti led the Golden Griffs with 17 points, including a perfect three for three from three-point range. Malcolm McMillan added 11 points along with seven assists, while Kassius Robertson contributed 13 points to the home team's cause. Canisius netted 13 three-point field goals in the game (21 attempts) shooting 62 percent from behind the arc.
McMillan leads the Griffs in scoring with 15.8 points per game, slightly higher than Valenti's 15 points every forty minutes. Valenti (6.0 rpg) and Jamal Reynolds (5.9 rpg) are the team's top rebounders, placing 13th and 14th respectively among the MAAC statistical leaders.
Fairfield enters tonight's game with an 11-9 overall record and a 5-5 MAAC mark after winning its second straight game last Sunday afternoon. The Stags swept the weekend with an 88-76 win at Marist on Friday night before wrapping up with its 98-91 decision over Iona at home. It's the first time Fairfield has won consecutive games since decisions over Loyola and Bucknell in late December.
Marcus Gilbert showed why he is one of the top scorers in the MAAC with his 32-point performance against Iona. Fairfield led from start to finish against the Gaels, opening up a 12-2 lead in the first three minutes of the game by making all four of its three-point attempts. Gilbert made three shots from behind the arc while Tyler Nelson added another long-range basket. Nelson ended the game with 22 points, his sixth 20-point game in the last 10 dates. Scott King Jr. came off the bench to lead all reserves with 11 points.
Gilbert remains the team's leading scorer with 19.1 points, a number which places third overall in the MAAC statistics. Nelson is second with 15.7 points per contest and ranks eighth among the conference leaders. Curtis Cobb, who added nine points with four assists and three steals against Iona, is the top scoring Fairfield freshman with 9.4 points per outing. Cobb is within three steals of the team lead, currently held by Nelson with 28.
