FAIRFIELD, Conn. -- For the third straight year, the Fairfield University men's basketball team will spend Thanksgiving on the road, traveling to Florida for the 2019 Orlando Invitational at the HP Fieldhouse. The Stags will open the tournament with the University of Southern California (USC) on Thanksgiving Day, a 4 pm match up that will air on ESPNU.

The Stags are playing their fourth straight game away from campus this Thursday after falling to sixth-ranked Maryland on November 19. The Terrapins handed Fairfield a 74-55 setback, a game that is part of the Orlando Invitational.  Fairfield made a valiant effort against its host, trailing by eight points midway through the second half before Maryland closed out the game with 22-11 run that brought about the 19-point win.

Head Coach Jay Young saw his team put forth its best effort of the season from three-point range, netting 48 percent of its attempts (12 of 25) with Landon Taliaferro accounting for a season-high five three pointers. He finished the game with a team-high 15 points, the first time this season in which the senior paced the offense. Jesus Cruz was the team's other double-digit scorer with 13 points, his fifth double-figure contest this year. Freshman Chris Maidoh enjoyed another brilliant defensive effort by tying his season high with three blocks and establishing a personal best with three steals. Kevin Senghore-Peterson put together his best game of the campaign, an eight-point contest which included a pair of three pointers. 

Cruz remains the team's top scorer with an 18.2 scoring average, a number that is strong enough to hold second among the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) leading scorers. Landon Taliaferro and Taj Benning are also scoring in double figures, netting 14.4 and 10.4 points per game respectively. Taliaferro found his three-point touch in the Maryland game, giving the senior 15 long-range jumpers in five games which leads the MAAC (3.0 made per game). Wassef Methnani represents the team's top rebounder with 6.2 caroms per contest despite not starting a game this season. His rebounding average rates 10th in the MAAC.

The Trojans dropped their first decision of the season with its 70-61 loss against Temple University. USC  trailed by one point at halftime, 31-30, but opened the second half with eight straight points to take a seven-point lead. Temple responded with its own run, outscoring its host by a 26-8 count over the next eight minutes. Onyeka Okongwu paced USC with 17 points, keeping the freshman atop of the team's scoring statistics with 18.0 points per game.

One game earlier, Okongwu also posted a team high in scoring with 33 points against Pepperdine. His scoring average has been ranked among the top freshmen in the country, placing sixth following his Pepperdine output. Nick Rakocevic and Jonah Mathews are also averaging in double figures with 14.7 and 11.2 scoring averages respectively. Rakocevic, who was named the Pac 12 Player of the Week on November 18, leads the team in rebounding with 9.2 per game, slightly better than Okongwu's 8.8 rebounding average. With those efforts, USC averages 42 rebounds per game. 

Fairfield will play its second game in the Orlando Invitational on Friday, November 29 against either Marquette or Davidson with the game time to be determined. The Stags' final date of the three-game event takes place on Sunday, December 1 against an opponent to be determined. After this Invitational, the Stags will return home for a game with William & Mary on December 8 at Alumni Hall, the team's first home game since a November 9 date with UMass.