Men's Basketball Opens Home Slate By Hosting LIU Brooklyn

FAIRFIELD, Conn. -- With two road games completed, the Fairfield University men's basketball team will begin the home portion of its schedule on Tuesday, November 13 when it hosts LIU Brooklyn at Webster Bank Arena at 7:30 pm. The Stags split their two-game road trip which included their thrilling 60-58 win over Bucknell, a game decided on Neftali Alvarez's layup with three seconds left in regulation. Now, Head Coach Sydney Johnson and his team will focus on LIU Brooklyn, which comes into the match up with an offense that averaged more than 90 points through its first two outings.

Raiquan Clark leads the team in scoring with 18 points per game, netting 58 percent of his field goal attempts. He has connected on 14 of 18 shots inside the three-point arc. Julian Batts is next in line with a 14.5 scoring average, while Jashuan Agosto, Ty Flowers, and Raul Frias averaging 12 points every forty minutes. Frias represents the team's top three-point shooting threat with six shots from behind the arc, helping the Blackbirds average 10 three-point field goals per game. He also the team's top rebounder with 9.5 caroms per contest. LIU Brooklyn will play its first road game of the season tonight, winning five road games last season.

The Stags picked up a road split with their last-second victory over Bucknell University last Saturday night. Fairfield won the game off Neftali Alvarez's layup with three seconds left in regulation to secure a 60-58 decision over the Bison. Alvarez's basket raised the freshman's point total to 16, his second straight game with that amount. Fairfield led by as many as 15 points in the first half and by 10 markers at halftime before Bucknell was able to make its run in the second half. Landon Taliaferro (12 points) and Jesus Cruz (10 points) also reached double figures for Fairfield.

Alvarez enters the home opener as the team's top scorer, averaging 16 points per game. Taliaferro is the team's other student-athlete in double figures, averaging 11.5 points per game. He joins Alvarez as the only Stags to have 10 or more points in both games this season. Alvarez is also the team leader in several other statistical categories, registering team bests with five rebounds per game and two steals per contest. The Stags received support from the bench at Bucknell with 17 points, six points better than the home team's reserves. Four different players came off the bench to score for Fairfield - Cruz, Kavaliauskas (3 points), Lemetti (2), and Milin (20).

The game is part of a doubleheader with the Fairfield University women's team, which will also host LIU Brooklyn. The two teams will tip off the twin bill at 5 pm. The men's team will continue its two-game home stand on Saturday, November 17 when it hosts Wagner University, completing Fairfield's brief run against the Northeast Conference.

Tickets for the LIU doubleheader can be purchased online through Ticketmaster or by visiting the Webster Bank Arena box office. The game will also be broadcast on ESPN3.

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Players Mentioned

#24 Jesus Cruz: G; 6' 5"; Sophomore

#0 Neftali Alvarez: G; 6' 2"; Freshman

#25 Landon Taliaferro: G; 6' 3"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#24 Jesus Cruz
: 6' 5"; Sophomore
: G

#0 Neftali Alvarez
: 6' 2"; Freshman
: G

#25 Landon Taliaferro
: 6' 3"; Junior
: G

Players Mentioned

#24 Jesus Cruz

#0 Neftali Alvarez

#25 Landon Taliaferro

Players Mentioned

#24 Jesus Cruz

#0 Neftali Alvarez

#25 Landon Taliaferro