FAIRFIELD, Conn. -- The trouble with the postseason is that there is no tomorrow. No matter how much success you have during the season, it all comes down to one game. Tonight was not the Stags' night. But there was not a coach or a student-athlete on the Fairfield bench who will let tonight's 77-62 loss to the University of New Hampshire define one of the best seasons in the Fairfield University annals.

This year's team became only the 10th Fairfield squad in the last 50 years to win 19 games in a season. This year's team boasts the top scoring freshmen class in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), a foursome that combines for just over 33 points per game. This year's team included Marcus Gilbert, the program's number four scorer in school history. And, this year's team posted one of the best turnarounds in the nation by going from seven wins a year ago to 19 victories this season. .

While tonight's loss was disappointing, by no means will it dim the bright future that will present itself next season and for the seasons to come.

"We wanted to win just as badly as they did," Head Coach Sydney Johnson said. "We care a great deal and put a lot into this season. It was a tough loss but it does not define our season. What defines our season is a whole lot of joy, a whole lot of winning and a whole lot of resiliency."

After a 10-day layoff, the Stags struggled at the start of tonight's game which gave the visiting team a chance to take the lead in opening minutes. 

The Wildcats opened with the first six points of the game and never trailed in the contest. The Stags' first points came from the free throw line as Jerome Segura made a pair of shots to put Fairfield on the board at the 17:26 mark. New Hampshire took a double-digit lead after Smith's three-point field goal at the 15:00 mark, pulling ahead 16-6.

"They were hot and we were cold and the two together really put us in a hole," Johnson said. "We were always playing catch up. We always believe we can come back and make a run and get back into a game but credit them for sticking with their stuff and finishing it out the way an experienced team can."

New Hampshire's lead reached as many as 21 points in the first half as Daniel Dion's three pointer made the score 38-21 with 5:27 on the clock. Dion made four of five three-point attempts in the first 20 minutes and scored a team-high 12 points in the opening half. The Stags managed to cut four points off the New Hampshire advantage, trailing by a 41-24 margin at the end of the half.

The second half did not start well for either team as neither squad was able to score in the first four minutes of the half. Jerry Johnson Jr. finally broke the scoreless run with a basket that brought the Stags within 15 points, 41-26. Fairfield continued to cut into the lead and brought the deficit under 10 at 47-38 after Tyler Nelson's layup at the 11:27 mark. New Hampshire pushed the lead back double figures with five straight points, 52-38.

Fairfield fought back to within seven points at 59-52 with 5:48 remaining as Nelson scored seven points during that 14-7 run. New Hampshire regained its 10-point lead with two minutes remaining at 65-55 and never led by less than that total the rest of the way.

Nelson led all Fairfield scorers with 20 points while Johnson Jr. came off the bench to add 16 points for the Stags. Three other Wildcats reached double figures in the game, namely Tanner Leissner and Daniel Dion with 15 points and Jacoby Armstrong with 10 points.