FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Seat backs in arenas and gymnasiums really don't seem to be necessary whenever the Fairfield University men's basketball team comes to play a game. Most fans, especially those in red, are generally sitting on the edge of their seats because this team always seems to be within a possession in the closing minutes and in some cases closing seconds.
Today was no different for Head Coach
Jay Young's squad as the Stags were within a possession after trailing by as many as nine points in the second half before succumbing to the College of William & Mary by a 62-58 score on George Bisacca Court at Alumni Hall. Through its first nine games, the Stags have played two overtime games and have opportunities to tie or win games on the final possession several times.
The difference today seemed to be the front court of the Tribe, namely Nathan Knight and Andy Van Vliet who accounted for 41 of the team's 62 points. Knight led all scorers with 21 points and added 10 rebounds while Van Vliet registered 20 points and 10 caroms in the game.
"We were trying to contain their front court but we didn't do that tonight for sure because they (Nathan Knight and Andy Van Vliet) scored 41 of their 62 points," Coach Young said. "We had a few chances down the stretch but our offensive possessions were not good enough when we needed points. Give credit to William & Mary because their two big guys who have done it all year did it again."
Both teams held the lead during this game as the contest featured seven lead changes and 10 tied scores. The Stags held their last lead of the game early in the second half after
Kevin Senghore-Peterson's free throw pushed Fairfield in front by a 37-35 score with 14:16 remaining. William & Mary scored the next nine points to take control at 44-37 at the 11:52 mark with Knight accounting for six of those points off a three-point field goal and a three-point play.
The Stags chipped away at the lead and eventually came within one possession after a pair of Senghore-Peterson free throws dropped the deficit to 56-53 with 2:26 on the clock. The Tribe scored the next four points to push the lead back to seven points with 14 seconds remaining to seal the win.
Vincent Eze just missed a double-double with a team-high 13 points and nine rebounds. Three other Fairfield starters reached double digits, namely
Jesus Cruz (11 points),
Landon Taliaferro (10 points), and
Taj Benning (10 points).
"Vincent is a warrior who keeps fighting and keeps trying to make a difference," Coach Young said. "He ran into some foul trouble where we had to sit him with three fouls. He had a difficult assignment defensively today but I thought he did a good job for the most part."
Fairfield has another long layoff before its next home game, not returning to its home court until January 8 when it hosts Marist College at Webster Bank Arena. The Stags will resume their schedule with a road game against Oakland University (Mich.) on December 21. The four-game road trip also includes a match up with Wagner College on December 28 before the team opens Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) play with its annual trip to Buffalo.
