FAIRFIELD, Conn. – With two minutes remaining and down eight points, the Fairfield University men's basketball team nearly erased the deficit against Fairleigh Dickinson University. But clutch free throw shooting in the closing helped the Knights diffuse any comeback hopes for the Stags as Fairleigh Dickinson posted a 69-65 win over Fairfield.
With the score standing at 66-58,
Jalen Leach found open space in the lane and scored off a layup that cut the lead to six points with 1:49 on the clock. The Stags earned a stop off and regained possession which set up a driving layup from
Jesus Cruz with 1:12 remaining.
Jalen Leach's play on both sides of the floor helped the Stags draw closer as the freshman blocked a shot, collected the rebound, and was later fouled on the offensive side of the court. He made one of two free throws to make it a one possession game at 66-63 with 34 seconds left.
Caleb Green brought the score to 66-65 with a layup just 12 seconds later but a pair of free throws from Jahlil Jenkins and Brandon Rush on consecutive possessions ended Fairfield's run at the victory.
"I like the way we fought at the end," Head Coach
Jay Young said. "But we have to compete like that for entire game if we are going to be successful."
Jake Wojcik led all Fairfield scorers with 12 points while Leach and
Taj Benning added 11 points to pace the Stags offense. Leach was the only reserve player for either team to reach double figures. The freshman has been the team's top scoring reserve this season, accounting for three of the four double-digit performances by a Fairfield student-athlete off the bench.
Fairleigh Dickinson used the three-point shot to build its lead during the first half and into the second half. The Knights made their first eight shots from behind the arc with six of those coming off the hands of Rush. He finished the game with 28 points, mostly because he made seven of 10 long-range jumpers and 10 of 17 shots overall. The visitors finished the game with 10 three-point field goals.
The Stags also enjoyed success from the floor, shooting 40 percent as a team. That number would be better if it wasn't for an off night from long range which saw Fairfield connect on six of its 23 three-point tries (26 percent). Wojcik made three of his six shots from the floor with two of those misses coming from three-point range and connected on five free throws to account for his 12 points, all of which came in the first half.
The Stags are finished with games for the calendar year, next playing conference opponent Rider University on January 1-2 at Alumni Hall. Coach Young hopes that the time away will provide an opportunity for Fairfield to prepare for the final 16 MAAC games left on the slate.
"It's been a challenging semester," Coach Young said. "I'm hoping our guys can spend time with their families during the Christmas break, return rejuvenated and ready to resume conference play. Despite our record, I feel we can be a good basketball team."
