STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – It's not as glamorous as a slam dunk. It's doesn't grab headlines like a three pointer. But any coach will tell you that free throws win games.
Such was the case this afternoon when the Fairfield University men's basketball team used those opportunities at the stripe to climb back into the game during the closing minutes of regulation and eventually win the game in overtime. Tyler Nelson netted 10 of 11 free throws and finished with a game-high 23 points as the Stags defeated Wagner University, 70-64 on the road.
“It's kind of incredible because some of our better free throw shooters have a tough start,” Head Coach Sydney Johnson said. “But we made some big ones today that helped us win.”
The Stags (3-0 overall) found themselves down by 10 points, 51-41, with nine minutes remaining in the second half. Fairfield chipped away over the next four minutes and made it a two possession game. Trailing by six points with five minutes remaining in regulation, the Stags found their way into the double bonus which eventually provided the chances to score without time coming off the clock, a critical factor when a team is trying to get back into a game.
With the score 56-50, Nelson made a pair of charity tosses with 3:50 remaining to bring the team within four points. Curtis Cobb was next to take his place at the line and the sophomore converted two free throws at the 3:21 mark and another set of charity tosses with 2:39 remaining to tie the game at 56-56.
Wagner tried to spoil the Stags' comeback bid when Michael Carey registered a three-point play to push his team back in the lead at 59-56 with a minute left. However, Cobb tied the game once again, this time from the three-point stripe to bring the score to 59-59 with 16 seconds left. The Seahawks tried to win it but the ball rolled off the rim with two seconds left and Jonathan Kasibabu secured the rebound.
In overtime, Nelson put the Stags in front for good with a layup and a free throw to make it a three-point game. Fairfield would score nine of its 11 points from the charity stripe, including four from Kasibabu to ice the game with 10 seconds left.
“I think we feel like we have a great team but this team still has a lot to learn,” Johnson said. “There was some minutes where we were outclassed. Wagner challenged us and humbled us but we came together as a family and pulled it together to win.”
Fairfield could not have hoped for a better beginning to this game as the Stags controlled tempo through the opening minutes. After Nelson scored on the Stags' first possession, Wagner scored five of the next seven points to take its first lead at 5-4. Matija Milin answered with a three-point field goal to push the visitors into the lead again at 7-5. The Seahawks tied the game on their next possession, but once again Fairfield came right back to reclaim the lead on Jonathan Kasibabu's basket.
Nelson padded the Stags' advantage with another three pointer, making it a 12-7 edge with 14:31 left. Fairfield's lead would reach eight points after Deniz Celen's tip-in raised the score to 19-11 with 11:25. The advantage would stay right there as the two teams traded baskets over the next four minutes, sending the Stags into the third media timeout with a 24-16 lead after Curtis Cobb's drive.
The basket would hold some significance for Fairfield because the team would not score another point until Kasibabu's free throws with 41 seconds left. During the Cobb basket and the Kasibabu charity tosses, Wagner scored 19 straight points, eight of which would come from the hands of JoJo Cooper. After making six of its first nine shots from the floor, Fairfield managed just four more hoops in its next 14 attempts. When the buzzer sounded, Wagner took a 37-29 lead into the locker room.
Fairfield finished up its three-game road trip on Wednesday when it plays Loyola University with the opening tip slated for 1 pm.
