KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Head Men's Basketball Coach Jay Young emerged from the locker room following the Stags' 67-62 win over Texas A&M University and said through a big smile "We're going to Disney World." Even though the trip to Disney was already on the team's itinerary before the game tipped off, Young still was able to say the iconic sports phrase after a win and that's what was most important to the first-year head coach.

                After being so close for so many games, the Stags closed out the program's first ever win over an SEC team with a school record performance from Landon Taliaferro, a double-double from Vincent Eze, and clutch free throw shooting from Taj Benning.

                "Coach came into film yesterday and said that we were not leaving Florida without a win," Taliaferro said. "So we just came together and everyone played their role to the best of their ability and we came away with a win."

                Taliaferro set the school standard for three pointers in a game, making 10 of 15 from long range, eclipsing the previous standard of nine held by Curtis Cobb (2017) and Mike Evanovich (2010). The 10 three pointers also represent a tournament record, surpassing Markus Howard's (Marquette) record of nine set one game earlier in this year's tournament. Eze finished the game with 10 points and a career-best 13 rebounds, while Benning netted two one-and-one situations and another pair of free throws in the final 17 seconds to seal the win.

                "Landon had a career game today," Coach Young said. "When a team is struggling to score, it's even more impressive that he can score 34 of the team's 67 points. It's not lot like he makes a lot of drives. He needed to make 10 threes and that's tough to do when everybody knows he is going to shoot threes. I thought we got him free a few times and he was able to knock down the shot and obviously he just carried us."

                Taliaferro showed much resiliency after going 0 for 9 from three-point range in the previous game against Davidson. But as shooters do, Taliaferro just focused on this game and forgot about the past.

                "Shooters have to have a short memory," Young said. "I told him if he was open he had to shoot it otherwise I was going to take him out of the game. And he let the last game go and just played today's game."

                It was apparent from the very start that Taliaferro was going to have a day. He put the Stags on the scoreboard with his first shot of the game, a long-range jumper that went through at the 17:33 mark. The senior went on to make his first five shots from behind the arc including three in a row that sparked a 12-0 run that turned a 15-8 deficit into a 20-15 lead with 6:48 left in the first half.

                After an Eze free throw, Taliaferro followed with three pointers that pushed Fairfield's score to 12, 15, and 18 after which Eze closed out the run with his own hoop. Texas A&M withstood the Stags' run and answered with five straight points to tie the game at 20-20 with 5:34 on the clock.

                Taliaferro added another three pointers to regain the lead at 23-20 but the lead was short lived as the Aggies closed the half with a 9-2 run that pushed the team in front 29-25 at halftime. With six three pointers already in hand, Fairfield fans began to murmur about the school record. Taliaferro had no idea that the record was in reach so there wasn't any pressure to break it.

                "I didn't know I broke it until I went into the locker room after the game," Taliaferro said. "Last year, I was close so I really it was a goal this year but I really wasn't thinking about it during the game. I was hot today and my teammates kept finding me and getting me the ball. It was great to do it in a win because these guys have been working so hard that it was awesome to experience with my teammates."

                The Stags stayed within reach for most of the game as neither team had the ability to pull away with a large lead. Texas A&M managed to take control early in the half, building a six-point lead at 38-32 with 15 minutes remaining. With Fairfield's offense in need of points, Jesus Cruz found himself open outside the three-point line and quickly launched a shot that touched nothing but net to cut the lead in half.

                Taliaferro followed with a rare two-point basket to bring Fairfield within a point at 38-37, starting an 11-6 spurt that put the Stags in the lead for good at 46-44 off Chris Maidoh's put-back dunk that deserves space on any highlight reel. Eze doubled Fairfield's advantage with two free throws, which Taliaferro with a three pointer that gave the Stags its biggest lead to that point at 51-44 with 7:07 on the clock.

                After a basket by Texas A&M, Taliaferro knocked down his record-setting 10^th three pointer to bring the lead to 54-46 with 6:24 remaining. The lead would reach nine points at 59-50 before Texas A&M made a strong run by scoring eight of the next 10 points to come within a possession at 61-58 with 1:46 on the clock.

                The spotlight turned to Benning down the stretch as the junior tallied the team's final six points, all at the free throw line, that included back-to-back one-and-one situations that the guard calmly converted.

                "Taj iced it down the stretch for us," Young said. "He stepped and made shots that were huge in helping us get this win."

                Fairfield held a large advantage on the boards today, outrebounding Texas A&M by a 30-21 count with Eze accounting for nearly half of those caroms. The forward secured 13 in the game, six of which came in the second half.

                "Vince is just a tough guy and he brings it every day in practice," Young said. "So what he did today really didn't surprise us. It's all a reflection on how hard he plays."

                Fairfield will return home for its first home game in nearly a month when it hosts William & Mary on December 8 at Alumni Hall. The game will be the team's only home game for another month, playing at Oakland and Wagner before opening Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play with a trip to upstate New York for Niagara and Canisius on January 3 and 5 respectively.