BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – With the shot clock winding down, Tyler Nelson scrambled to collect the loose ball that was knocked away from a teammate. He collected the ball near midcourt as his teammates looked to get open with a few seconds left on the timer. Nelson waved off his teammates and confidently made his move toward the basket. And with a second to spare, the senior laid the ball in the basket to provide a little more comfort to both his teammates and the coaching staff.

It was Tyler Nelson being Tyler Nelson. No panic, no worry, no doubt. It one of many plays that the guard made in the second half which contribute to his 21 points after halftime and his season-high 31 points overall as the Fairfield University men's basketball finished the non-conference season with a 78-68 win over the University of New Hampshire at Webster Bank Arena.

"He actually talked to me about five or six minutes earlier about that play," Head Coach Sydney Johnson said. "He talked about a look we wanted to give New Hampshire and I trust him with a whole lot. So later in the game when the opportunity presented itself, he went at it. It's like having a coach on the floor and he's being doing it for a long time."

"There was about eight seconds left on the shot clock when I got to the ball," Nelson said. "I didn't want a ball screen. I wanted to take my guy one-on-one and take it to the rim and that's what happened."

Nelson, who by his own admission has struggled with his shot at times, had very little difficulty finding shots tonight. In the second half, the senior made seven of his 10 field goal attempts including three of six three-point tries to set up his second-half performance.

"They played zone and that's something we have not seen a lot this year so it was nice to get looks off that," Nelson said. "I hit a couple of threes early and that really helped my confidence and allowed me to keep it going all night."

His 31 points was important to his teammates in relation to winning the game, but it was also important individually for Nelson. Besides setting a season high, Nelson's point total raised his career total to 1,671 points which pushed him past Mark Young '79 (1,643 points), Troy Bradford '89 (1,648 points), and Marcus Gilbert '16 (1,661 points) on Fairfield's scoring leader list. He now sets his sights on the number three spot currently occupied by Derek Needham '13 who netted 1,875 points during his four-year career.

"Tyler is facing everyone's best so I think there is a little adjustment there as teams try to be physical and take him away from his game," Johnson said. "But the kid is so good that I just tell him to stay in attack mode and keep pressure on people by forcing them to defend you. He understands that people are going to be gunning for him but he has a lot of answers and that showed tonight."
  
While Nelson's second-half performance was critical to the team's success tonight, Coach Johnson had to find a few answers early in the game as New Hampshire was able to keep Fairfield at arm's length. And when he found his team down nine points just seven minutes into the game, Johnson turned to his bench and called on newcomers Ferron Flavors Jr. and Kevin Senghore-Peterson with 12 minutes left in the half
 
Over those final 12 minutes Flavors Jr. and Senghore-Peterson made Johnson's decision look to be as good as any choice a coach can make that early in the game. The duo combined for 13 points, eight rebounds, and a pair of assists during their combined 24 minutes of work.

"We have a very deep team," Johnson said. "We have a star player in Tyler, one of the best I've ever coached, and then we have a whole lot of kids who can play and contribute. It nothing more than watching Ferron and Kevin and Taj (Benning) and other guys do in practice and understanding they are ready to come in and contribute. It was just understanding what I see in practice every day and trusting that we can put them on the court and have it look the way we want it to look."

The two players helped the Stags erase that nine-point deficit and eventually help Fairfield gain a five-point halftime lead at 38-33. Flavors Jr. scored 11 of his 14 points in the first half, while Peterson added five of his team-high eight rebounds in the opening period.

After starting the second half with a five-point edge, Fairfield received an offensive boost from Nelson, who doubled the Stags' halftime edge by hitting a three-point field goal and following with a three-point play that gave the team a 44-33 lead. Jesus Cruz continued the Stags opening run of the half with a jumper that provided Fairfield with its biggest lead at 13 points.

New Hampshire would come as close as three points in the second half after a pair of free throws by Iba Camara pulled the Wildcats within 60-57 at the 9:02 mark. Kevin Senghore-Peterson followed those charity tosses with a layup that started a 6-0 run that made the score 66-57 in Fairfield's favor with just under seven minutes remaining. The Stags would remain at least two possessions in front of New Hampshire for the remainder of the game.

Flavors Jr. contributed to Fairfield's win with 14 points off the bench, while Kasibabu added 10 points, six rebounds, and three blocks to the cause. Tanner Leissner led all New Hampshire scorers with 24 points, half of which came at the free throw line (12 of 13). Camara recorded a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds in his 37 minutes of work.

The Stags closed out the non-conference portion of its schedule with the win over New Hampshire and now looks to open the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) season on Thursday, December 28 when they host Saint Peter's University at Webster Bank Arena. Game time is slated for 7 p,m.