STONY BROOK, N.Y. – At the beginning of a season, teams rely on their seniors to take them through those tough times and keep their teammates focused on the task in front of them. Seniors Jesus Cruz and Taj Benning did just that this afternoon, combining for 28 points with Cruz's 18 points leading all Fairfield scorers as the Stags fell to Stony Brook University 72-69 in overtime.

            Whenever the Stags fell behind, it seemed as though Cruz and Benning were in position to bring the team back from the brink. Cruz scored 14 of his points in the second half and overtime and it was his basket with four minutes remaining that gave Fairfield a 58-56 lead.

            "Jesus played well today and gave us a lot of good minutes," Head Coach Jay Young said. "Both of our seniors made plays today when we needed them."

            Benning scored 10 points in the game, all coming in the first half which helped Fairfield build a 29-26 halftime lead. He also scored six points in the opening minutes when the Stags built a 10-point lead at 15-5. Late in the half, Benning's three-point play in the closing minutes of the first half provided Fairfield with a seven-point lead at 29-22.

            The team went into the locker room with a three-point lead, 29-26,  but saw the advantage disappear with four quick points from Tykei Greene. The Stags regained the lead with four straight points from Supreme Cook and Cruz before Stony Brook went on an 8-0 run that gave the home team its biggest lead to that point at 38-34.

            The Seawolves would not trail for eight minutes until Jalen Leach's three-point play pushed the Stags back in the lead at 52-50 with 7:34 on the clock. The two-point lead would still stay intact when Cruz broke a 56-56 tie with a drive to the basket. After Stony Brook tied the game, Leach and Green would score back-to-back baskets that brought the score to 62-58 with two minutes remaining.

            Fairfield would not score again in regulation which gave Stony Brook the chance to tie the game which it did after a pair of free throws from Jaden Sayles and a basket by Juan Felix Rodriguez.

            Tshiefu Ngalakulondi posted the first points in the overtime period but Stony Brook responded with six straight points to grab a four-point advantage at 68-64, a lead that it would not surrender.

            "We lost a tough game to a good opponent," Coach Young said. "I am really proud of our effort today. A lot of guys logged a lot of minutes since we played basically an eight-man rotation. I am proud of how the team competed but am disappointed with our execution. We have to get better and we will do that."

            The lack of execution resulted in a season-high 20 turnovers but Fairfield was able to limit the damage by allowing those miscues to translate to 10 points. Still, the disruption in possessions prevented the Stags from putting together any sustained runs.

            Leach was the team's top reserve with 13 points, the third time he paced the team's bench scoring this season. Fairfield's reserves outscored Stony Brook's bench by a 20-8 count. After missing a double-double by a rebound on Wednesday night, Cook was one point shy of hitting the bench mark with nine points and a team-best 11 rebounds.

            Fairfield will return to the hardwood on Monday when it completes its home and home series with the University of Hartford. The Stags and the Hawks will tip off at 4 pm on ESPN3.