JERSEY CITY, N.J. – Eight different student-athletes scored for the Fairfield University men's basketball this afternoon but their combined effort fell short against Saint Peter's University as the Stags ended their weekend road trip with a split following its 61-44 setback this afternoon. Jesus Cruz paced the Fairfield offense with nine points as Fairfield struggled from the floor with its field goal percentage standing at .283 today.

These two teams represented the top teams for scoring defense with Fairfield coming into this afternoon leading Saint Peter's slightly. .The final score certainly reflected two programs that know how to defend as both teams went minutes without scoring throughout the afternoon. In the end, Saint Peter's found more success especially around the rim, scoring 38 of its 61 points in the paint.

The Peacocks came out and scored the first five points of the game and never allowed the Stags to take a lead. After Allan Jeanne-Rose put Fairfield on the scoreboard with a pair of free throws, Saint Peter's tallied another five points to hold a solid 10-2 lead just three minutes into the game. Taj Benning produced the Stags' first basket of the game four minutes into the contest with a driving layup that cut the lead to 10-4.

Saint Peter's offense continued to build on its advantage, holding a nine point edge after a three-point shot from Dallas Watson made the score 17-8. The Stags worked their way back into the game over the next five minutes, putting together an 8-1 run that pulled the visitors within a basket, 18-16. Aidas Kavaliauskas was responsible for half of those points with a layup and a pair of free throws. Benning and Landon Taliaferro also chipped in with a pair of points each during the stretch.

The Peacocks regrouped and netted the next eight points over a two-minute span that gave them their biggest lead to that point at 26-16 with four minutes left in the half. The home team would eventually carry a 31-20 lead into the locker room.

Fairfield started the second half with a more efficient offense, shooting 45 percent from the floor at the beginning of the period. Part of that offensive run came from the outside shooting of Calvin Whipple, who netted the team's first three pointer of the afternoon, Kevin Senghore-Peterson, who added some offense inside the lane, and Jeanne-Rose, who had success both inside and outside today.

Despite the effort by the Stags, the Peacocks offense was able to continue to increase its hold of the game, turning a 10-point lead into a 17-point edge with five minutes left in the contest. The Stags would eventually cut the deficit to 15 points by the final buzzer.

"You have to give a lot of credit to Saint Peter's because they are playing really well," Head Coach Jay Young said. "We had trouble scoring because we were neutralized at the basket with nine blocks. That's the result you are going to get on the road when you shoot 28 percent. We need to be better and we'll get right back to work. We have four home games coming up and hopefully that will help us get right in the middle of this thing."

Benning and Rose were next in line on the box score each netting seven points for the Stags. Vincent Eze was the team's top rebounder with five caroms on the day. Aaron Estrada was the Saint Peter's offensive leader with 20 points followed by Fousseyni Drame's 11 points.

The Stags will begin a four-game home stand on Friday, February 21 when they host Niagara University at George Bisacca Court at Alumni Hall. Game time is 7 pm.