FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Taj Benning scored a team-high 16 points while Caleb Green added 10 points for the Stags as the Fairfield University men's basketball team dropped a 70-42 decision to Iona College in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) opener for both teams.

               The Stags scored the game's first points on a floating jumper in the lane by Calen Green at the 18:28 mark. Iona responded with the next 11 points to take an 11-2 lead with just over 16 minutes remaining and never lost the lead.

               The Stags did battle throughout the first half, starting with that nine-point deficit. Fairfield came within a basket by scoring the next seven points, five of which came from Green on a three-point field goal and another jumper, to pull within 11-9. The Stags hung around for most of the first half, staying within a possession or two until the Gaels ended the opening half with a 7-2 run that turned a manageable five-point deficit into a 32-22 halftime lead for the visiting team.

               The first few minutes of the second half pushed the game out of Fairfield's reach as Iona scored the first nine points and nearly doubled its halftime lead to 19 points, 41-22. Ross was responsible for all nine points which accounted for more than half of his 17 second half points.

               Turnovers were at the heart of the Stags performance again tonight with the team committing 19 miscues that led to 21 Iona points. Fairfield nearly split the total by half by recording nine in the first half and 10 in the final 20 minutes.

               Benning was brilliant tonight offensively, netting six of 10 shots from the floor including both three-point field goals and both free throw attempts. Green also showed the flashes of offense that he exhibited in the first couple of games, scoring in double figures and dishing off three of the team's six assists.

               While Benning and Green provided the offense, Supreme Cook and Tshiefu Ngalakulondi accounted for a good portion of the team's 36 rebounds. Both forwards secured seven rebounds each with Allan Jeanne-Rose next on the list with five caroms to his credit.

               "We were really outplayed in every facet of the game tonight," Head Coach Jay Young said. "We struggled on offense and had too many turnovers. I was disappointed with our rebounding too because they scored 14 second-chance points. We are going to fix it though. It's deflating when we don't score and our defense can't hold the opponent. You are not just going to win many games against a good team like Iona by shooting 27 percent from the floor."

               Fairfield will host Iona on Saturday night to complete the back-to-back season series, the new format for scheduling in the MAAC. The Stags and the Gaels will tip off at 7 pm at Alumni Hall. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN3 with Bob Heussler and Joe DeSantis calling the action.
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