BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – With six minutes remaining in the second half, Head Men's Basketball Coach Sydney Johnson put his hand in his right pocket, pulled it out, and looked at his empty hand. Then, he dug down deep in his left pocket, rustled around a bit, and managed to pull out just enough magic to help his squad erase an 11-point deficit and come away with its fourth straight win, a 69-66 decision over Monmouth University.

                Now the way that the men's basketball team has been turning near defeat into victory over the last two weeks, one would think that there would be very little magic left within the confines of Webster Bank Arena. And whether or not you believe in magic, you can't help but be caught up in the enthusiasm that has engulfed the team as well as the Fairfield faithful lately.

                But there still must be some explanation for the team's uncanny ability to not only obliterate halftime deficits, but hang on to win the game. In the last six games that the Stags have trailed at halftime, they have come back to win five times including the last three games.

                "Coach (Johnson) talks a lot about being mentally tough and we have been that over the last few weeks," Jonathan Kasibabu said. "He tells us we have to find the answers within ourselves. That kind of mindset of getting every loose ball, rebound, getting stop after stop after stop will get us back in the game. The offense will take care of itself but we have to defend and that's been the difference."

                Fairfield's defense certainly showed up today by holding Monmouth's top offensive players in check. Micah Seaborn and Austin Tilghman entered today's action averaging a combined 28.7 points per game. But today, Tilghlman tallied four points and Seaborn was held to a pair of free throws.

                At the heart of the Stags' defense was Kasibabu, who blocked only one shot but changed so many more with his presence in the paint. And when Monmouth missed, he was there to clean up as he finished with 10 rebounds to go along with his 20 points.

                "Energy and enthusiasm are Jonathan's calling card," Johnson said. "He brings those qualities to practices, to shoot arounds as well as games. The guys respect him because he plays really hard and really sincere. We certainly couldn't be where we are without his contribution."

                Just as he has done over the last few games, Kasibabu proved effective especially playing off Tyler Nelson who once again reached the 20-point mark for the 16^th time this season with his 23-point effort this afternoon. But just as important as his points, Nelson used his passing skills to free Kasibabu on a couple of occasions down the stretch including a game-changing basket with 38 seconds left in regulation.

                Nelson took the ball from Kasibabu at the top of the key and upon release, the forward made a dive toward the basket. Nelson sent a pass over the defense into the outstretched hands of Kasibabu, who put the ball into the basket to break a 64-64 tie and give the lead to Fairfield for good.

                "Going over the top worked well in the first game against them," Nelson said. "We save it for the second half today and luckily it worked to where we got a couple of layups and backdoor cuts when we needed it.'

                But that basket would have been meaningless had it not been for the Stags play with six minutes remaining in the second half. After a pair of free throws from Louie Pillari, Monmouth matched its biggest lead of the game at 59-48 with 5:46 on the clock.

Fairfield began its come back with Nelson's layup that cut the lead to nine points at 59-50. After a missed jumper by Monmouth, Ferron Flavors Jr. brought Fairfield within three points with a three-point field goal at the 4:59 mark, cutting the deficit to 59-53. The Stags came up with another defensive stop, a possession which ended with Nelson's three pointer that turned the game into a one-possession affair at 59-56.

                A turnover gave Fairfield the ball back once again and the Stags made the most of the opportunity with Nelson's layup that brought the score to 59-58 with three minutes to play. Fairfield continued to rally until Aidas Kavaliauskas stepped to the free throw line. His first attempt tied the game and his second gave the Stags its first lead since the first half, making the score 64-63. Monmouth tied the game when Austin Tilghman made one of two free throws, setting up Kasibabu's heroics with his layup that gave Fairfield the points that would help decide the game.

                "It helps that we have been through this type of game before," Johnson said. "We have been down at the end of the first half and various times in the second half and have come back. It's been awesome to see these guys mature. When they have a deficit, they just recenter and get to what we do and fortunately that was enough today."
                Before the game, the Stags celebrated the careers of their three seniors, namely Nelson, Jerome Segura, and Jared Harper. Johnson placed all three in the starting lineup, a fitting tribute to three student-athletes who have meant so much to the program.

                "I had mixed emotions today," Segura said. "I was happy that I made it this far but sad because it was our last home game but I wanted to get the win to end on a good note. It went by really fast but I was able to do it with my best friends. It was great to go on this journey with them. There have been ups and downs but we stayed together as a team."

                The Stags will now await tomorrow's results to see where they will land in the final MAAC standings and subsequent tournament seedings.