BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – At an open preseason practice earlier this season, Head Coach
Sydney Johnson invited each of his student-athletes to tell fans one thing about himself that no one else knew. When it came to
Aidas Kavaliauskas, he flashed a big smile and said that he was probably the oldest sophomore in the country. While the response elicited laughter from the crowd, there was another inference to his claim – that being 22 years old brought a great deal of experience to the team.
His experience certainly showed through this afternoon as the guard registered his second straight double-double with 14 points and 11 assists to help the Fairfield University men's basketball team end Niagara University's five-game winning streak with a 104-85 win at Webster Bank Arena. Today's performance comes on the heels of his 14-point, 10-assist evening at Marist last Saturday. The stats certainly back up the premise that the sophomore can use his experience to help accentuate the best attributes of his teammates
"The coaches are asking me to be an extension of them by helping direct guys on the court," Kavaliauskas said. "I am trying to get open shots for my teammates and talk a lot so we can make sure we are together on both sides of the court. I'm just trying to do my role."
Kavaliauskas brought a reputation of being able to do the intangibles so it hasn't been that much of a surprise to the coaching staff and team that he has dished off 21 assists against three turnovers in the last two games. But the fact that he added 14 points in each of the last two outings has come as a revelation to the all.
"My first instinct is to pass because we have wonderful shooters like Tyler (Nelson) and Ferron (Flavors Jr.)," Kavaliauskas said. "But if I am open because everyone is defending them I feel comfortable enough to take shots."
His comfort level was apparent when Niagara, which trailed 58-40 at halftime, worked its way back into the game by opening the second half with a 24-12 start that brought the Purple Eagles within six points at 70-64 with 12 minutes left in the game. After Coach Johnson called a timeout, Niagara dropped back on Nelson and Flavors Jr. to keep the Stags' top scorers in check. And sure enough, that defensive look left Kavaliauskas open and the guard made a three-point shot that provided the Stags with a little more breathing room at 73-64.
The Stags picked up a defensive stop and the Purple Eagles once again looked to deny Nelson and Flavors Jr. And once again, Kavaliauskas took advantage by making his second-straight three-point field goal that returned a double-digit lead to the Stags side. From that point, the Purple Eagles were unable to cut the lead to under10 points for the remainder of the game.
"I think the quality of our shots the last few games has improved and Aidas has been an important part of that," Coach Johnson said. "He has been finding guys which has resulted in open shots and that shows by our point total the last two games. We want to get some offense from our point guards so he has been able to score a bit and that helps us overall. He has shown some consistency the past few games and we are pleased with that."
Every team looks to get a fast start and it would be hard to imagine that a team could begin a game any better than the Stags did today. After holding a slight 6-5 edge in the opening two minutes, Fairfield took control by outscoring Niagara over the next four minutes, turning that one-point lead into a 23-13 advantage with 13:49 on the clock.
The lead continued to grow exponentially every few minutes as the lead hit 14 points with 11 minutes left, 16 points with nine minutes remaining, 19 points with seven minutes on the clock, before reaching a high of 22 points with three minutes before halftime. The Stags eventually settled for an 18-point lead at intermission as James Towns' three pointer in the final minute prevented Fairfield from a 20-plus point lead at the buzzer.
Niagara, which entered the game as the top scoring team in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), has explosive offensive potential and the team showed every bit of that might when the Purple Eagles took the court for the second half. Kahlil Dukes scored five points which touched off a 9-0 run that cut Fairfield's halftime lead in half at 58-49 just 100 seconds into the second period.
Nelson put his team's first point of the half on the scoreboard with a pair of free throws which seemed to settle his teammates. After a defensive stop, Nelson found
Matija Milin cutting down the lane and sent a perfect pass that led to the junior's two-handed slam that brought the fans to their feet and momentum back to the Stags.
After building the lead back to 14 points following a Flavors Jr. three pointer, Niagara used an 11-3 spurt that closed the gap to six points at 70-64 with 12:28 on the clock. But Kavaliauskas' offensive punch from behind the three-point line quickly doubled the Stags advantage and sent the team on to its second conference win.
Nelson finished the afternoon with a game-high 28 points, making all of his 11 free throws and dishing off five assists.
Jesus Cruz recorded a career-high 19 points by making eight of his 10 field goal attempts, while Flavors Jr. posted 18 points in his 36 minutes of work. Milin came off the bench to add 15 points and grab eight rebounds, tying
Jonathan Kasibabu for the team high for rebounding.
Khalil Dukes and Matt Scott paced the Niagara offense with 26 and 11 points, respectively.
The Stags' 104 points were the most scored by the team in a MAAC games since edging Saint Peter's University 109-108 in February, 2006. Fairfield's 58-point first half represented the most points scored in a half since dropping 66 points at the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore in November, 2015, netting 66 points in the 113-74 win.
Fairfield will return to the hardwood on Tuesday night when the team hosts Rider University at Webster Bank Arena. Game time is scheduled for 7 pm.
