FAIRFIELD, Conn. -- The Fairfield University men's basketball team will play the middle game of its current three-game road trip on Saturday night, heading to Poughkeepsie for a date with Marist College. The game is scheduled for a 7 pm tip and is being broadcasted on ESPN3.

The Stags lost the first game of its three-game road trip by a 62-49 score at Manhattan on Thursday night. The performance represented the second sub-50 point game by the Stags in their last three outings. Before these two 40-plus point games, the Stags had not score less than 57 points in a game (at Purdue and at Monmouth). Fairfield led early in the game, overcoming a 3-0 lead with seven straight points to secure a four-point edge at 7-3. The team still led at 13-10 with after a Landon Taliaferro three pointer but the Jaspers responded with five consecutive points. Fairfield would tie the game twice after that run - 17-17 and 20-20 - before Manhattan netted six points in a row to take the lead for good at 26-20 with five minutes left in the first half.

Jonathan Kasibabu paced Fairfield's offense with nine points and added team-highs with seven rebounds and four blocked shots. Taliaferro was next in line with eight points, most of which came of two more three pointers which raised his season total to 62 long-range baskets. The junior represents the Stags' top scorer with a 12.1 scoring average, one of four Stags in double figures. Neftali Alvarez (11.6 ppg), Kasibabu (11.3 ppg), and Jesus Cruz (10.5 ppg) also score in double figures for the season. Kasibabu rates as the team's top rebounder with 8.0 caroms per game.

Kasibabu leads the MAAC in overall scoring and field goal percentage as well as conference scoring and field goal percentage. The senior made four of five field goal attempts against Iona, which raised his field goal percentage to .596 in overall games and .694 in MAAC contests. Kasibabu is posting 8.0 rebounds per game through 21 games and 9.0 caroms per contest through nine MAAC games.

The Red Foxes made eight of their first 10 shots to open up a 15-12 lead over Iona and went on to defeat the Gaels by a 78-74 margin, the first home win over Iona since 2008. Marist build at 13 halftime lead and remained in front throughout the second half. Iona managed to come within one possession three times in the final minute but the Red Foxes fought off the comeback bid each time. Aleksander Dozic put together an outstanding all-around game with 14 points, a season-high seven rebounds, and three blocked shots. Isaiah Lamb led all Marist scorers with 15 points.

The Marist offense rallies around Brian Parker, who sports a team-best 14.8 scoring average and a 3.3 assist average. Ryan Funk, who has come off the bench in each of his 20 appearances, places second among his teammates with 11.5 points per game and represents the team's top three-point shooter with 52 long-range baskets in 20 games. Lamb is Marist's top rebounder with 4.9 per game.