ALBANY, N.Y. -- The Fairfield University men's basketball team's quest for a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) title came to an abrupt end on Sunday afternoon when the Stags dropped a 76-63 decision to top-seeded Monmouth University at the Times Union Center.

Fairfield had trouble putting the ball in the basket early but the Hawks did not have much success either. Nearly four minutes into the game, Monmouth managed to take a 4-0 lead but could not muster more offense. Jerome Segura finally broke through for the Stags with a running one-hander at the 16:33 mark. He scored the next four points for Fairfield as well that brought the team within a point at 7-6.

The Stags tied the game and took the lead courtesy of Kevin Degnan as the forward netted back-to-back three pointers that pushed Fairfield in front for the first time, 12-9, with 12:57 remaining. The Fairfield lead would reach nine points, 20-11, which was the Stags' biggest advantage of the day. Monmouth also found its offensive touch over the final eight minutes of the half, giving the Hawks the chance to come back.

The Hawks did not regain the lead until Justin Robinson tossed in a long three-point field goal that gave the top seed a 35-33 edge with two minutes remaining in the half. The lead would reach six points by the halftime buzzer, sending the teams into the locker room with the score 42-36.

The second half belonged to Monmouth however as the Hawks opened the period with a 20-4 run that quickly moved the score to 62-40 with 12:31 on the clock. Fairfield, as it has all year long, would not go away and put together a solid stretch that allowed the fifth-seeded squad to make things interesting. With 2:21 left in the game, Fairfield came back within 11 points at 70-59, using a 13-2 run over nearly four minutes.

Monmouth finished the game by scoring the final six of the final 10 points to hang on for the win. 

Matija Milin led all Fairfield scorers with 16 points, one of four starters in double figures. Segura ended the game with 14 points while Marcus Gilbert and Tyler Nelson added 10 points. Micah Seaborn led Monmouth with 17 points, followed by Justin Robinson's 15 markers.