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BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – There is something special about an opening night. The excitement, the anticipation, and the desire to begin with a good start all mark the moment of a team's first game. Tonight was such a night for Fairfield University Men's Basketball. Ok, technically the Stags opened the 2017-18 season on November 11 with a win over Penn. But tonight, the team opened the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) portion of its schedule. And if you use the aforementioned benchmarks for a season opener or in this case a conference opener, Fairfield hit every single one of them.

The Stags picked up a win in their first MAAC game of the season, nearly leading from opening tip to final buzzer with a 70-61 win over Saint Peter's University. Fairfield proved its offensive abilities against the top defensive team in the MAAC as the Peacocks ranked first in scoring defense, three-point field goal percentage defense, and field goal percentage defense coming into the game.

"Yeah, I think there was an excitement about tonight," Head Coach Sydney Johnson said. "We played against a good team that has played well against us in the past in Saint Peter's so there was motivation there. There's motivation to start the MAAC season well. There's motivation to continue improving how we play. So I think we had a lot to motivate us tonight and when players are motivated they are always excited to play."

At the heart of that excitement was Omar El-Sheikh, who did not play in the team's win against New Hampshire on December 22. With the opportunity to return to the lineup and make a contribution, El-Sheikh was very eager to help his team earn a win in the MAAC opener. And by the end of the game, El-Sheikh posted 11 points, grabbed six rebounds and picked up a steal, an assist, and a block.

"I am feeling very comfortable now and I think the team chemistry is really starting to show," El-Sheik said. "Everyone including me knows their role. I know what the coaches need from me and I will just keep doing what they ask me to do."

That comfortable feeling did not come overnight for the freshman. Early in the preseason, he talked about how fast the American game was and how he needed to adjust in order to be successful.

'I feel the coaches have really helped me out to get to this point. I have adapted but I am not where I need to be yet. And all of the upperclassmen have also helped me to adapt but I am still in the process. A lot my comfort comes from the support that I have received from my coaches and teammates."

The Stags led for nearly the entire game with the exception of the Peacocks quick start in the opening minute. Nick Griffin and Nnamdi Enechionyia made back-to-back three pointers to push Saint Peter's in front 6-0 in the first 48 seconds of the game. Fairfield responded with 13 straight points with Tyler Nelson scoring the final five of the string to put the Stags in front for the first time at 13-6.

The lead reached seven points at 18-11 following Jerome Segura's jumper at the 11:41 mark, a lead which would be erased when Saint Peter's scored eight consecutive points that included a three pointer from Griffin and Enechionyia that brought the score to 19-17 with 10:17 on the clock.

Nelson's three-point play and El-Sheikh's dunk off a fast break made it a two-possession game at 23-19 with under eight minutes remaining in the half. After Samuel Idowu's jumper cut the deficit to two points, Fairfield responded with a run of nine points that started with consecutive three pointers from Ferron Flavors Jr. and produced the Stags' first double-digit lead of the game, 32-21, with 4:45 remaining in the first half.

Fairfield would lead by as many as 12 points before settling on a 10-point halftime lead, 37-27. The Peacocks used a few adjustments to start the second half which allowed them to come with four points, 42-38, through the first five minutes of the second half, but Fairfield would recapture its double-digit lead three minutes late rafter a pair of El-Sheikh free throws made the score 50-40 at the 11:24 mark. The Peacocks came as close as five points with 56 seconds remaining in the game, but never really threatened the Stags over the final 10 minutes.

Matija Milin was the third Fairfield student-athlete to reach double figures with 11 points, joining Nelson who tallied a team-high 19 points and El-Sheikh. Elijah Gonzales came off the bench to lead all Saint Peter's scorers with 16 points, followed by Griffin's 13 points.

Fairfield will return to the court on Saturday, December 30 with its first MAAC road game, a 7 p.m. start at Manhattan College.