BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – Amadou Sidibe's tip in with 0.4 seconds remaining in regulation was the difference as the Fairfield University men's basketball team (4-1 overall) edged Army West Point (2-4 overall) 75-74 at Webster Bank Arena. The forward finished the game with 19 points and 19 rebounds, both of which represented career highs.
“It was an amazing effort from him, but this is his team,” Head Coach Sydney Johnson said. “He's a battler out there and we look completely different when we have him out there. The great thing about Amadou is that not only is he one of our toughest guys, but he is an extension of our coaching staff on the floor. He holds everyone accountable but also plays hard himself which extends to his teammates which makes us stronger.”
Army West Point held a 10-point lead with four minutes to go after Matt Wilson's layup brought the score to 70-60. The Stags started their comeback when Curtis Cobb netted a three-point field goal to pull the Stags within seven points on the team's next possession. Fairfield came to within five points before John Emezie and Wilson nearly doubled the advantage to nine points at 74-65. The Cadets would not score again over the final 2:40, setting up the Stags comeback.
Matija Milin took three points off the lead with his long-range jumper, getting the ball back after Sidibe's offensive rebounds. Cobb made it a three-point game with another three pointer on the team's next possession, making it a 74-71 lead with 1:24 on the clock. Sidibe took over from that point, pulling the team within a point following his slam dunk with 42 seconds on the clock.
Army West Point tried to build on its slim lead but the shot clock expired before a shot could be sent toward the rim, giving Fairfield the ball with 11 seconds left. After a timeout, Jerome Segura held the ball before making a drive toward the basket with two seconds left. Sidibe attacked the basket and tipped in the rebound to push Fairfield in front 75-74 with four-tenths of a second remaining.
“We stuck together down the stretch and made our runs to win the game,” Sidibe said. “Credit Matija and Curtis for making big shots that put us back in the game. On the final play, Jerome (Segura) went to the basket and that forced them to guard him which left me open for the rebound.”
Sidibe was a force in the first half as well as the Stags were successful to start the game by attacking the basket. The Stags used their quickness and strength to score down low in the first half, posting eight of their first 11 points in the paint. At the center of that success was Sidibe, who was responsible for four of those points while Cobb and Tyler Nelson each pitched in with a layup. Army West Point grabbed an early lead with an outside jumper from Mac Hoffman, a precursor to how the Cadets would attack Fairfield in the opening 20 minutes.
The Stags sandwiched a pair of layups around a layup from Army to bring the score to 4-4 with 17 minutes remaining. After Army West Point recaptured the lead, the Stags reeled off seven straight points to take their biggest lead of the half at 11-7 following two free throws and a layup from Sidibe on consecutive possessions.
The Black Knights responded with a seven-point run of their own to regain that three-point edge at 14-11, the go-ahead points coming on a three-point shot from Jacob Kessler. The Cadets would add a point to that advantage on a couple of occasions at 21-17 and 27-23. Fairfield erased that last disadvantage with six straight points on back-to-back three pointers from Cobb and Olivier Cadieux, putting Fairfield in front at 29-27.
Jordan Fox gained the lead back from Fairfield with the team's sixth three pointer of the half, but Cadieux's layup pushed the home team in front for the final time in the half. The edge was short lived as Matt Wilson ended the half with a driving layup which sent Army West Point into the locker room with a 32-31 lead.
The Stags will open Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) play on December 1 when they head to Rider University for a 7 p.m. tip.
