FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Second-half surges have become part of the makeup of the 2019-20 Fairfield University men's basketball team. The Stags have erased second-half deficit on a number of occasions this year and appeared poised to do so once again after Jesus Cruz's driving layup with 15 seconds remaining pushed the Stags in front of Quinnpiac University by a 58-57 score.

                But the 15 seconds were just enough for the visitors to win the game as Jacob Rigoni released a three-point field goal as the buzzer sounded and watched the ball touch nothing but net. The shot gave the Bobcats a 60-58 win at Alumni Hall, sending the Stags into Sunday's final home game of the season and in Alumni Hall with a feeling of a missed opportunity.

                Quinnipiac led for nearly the entire game but the deficit that stared in the face of the Fairfield collective did not seem to faze the Stags. It's a situation they have found themselves in before and many times found a way out of the deficit. After Landon Taliaferro opened the game with a three-point field goal, the visitors netted five straight points to take the lead and would hold an edge for the most part until they found themselves trailing in the final 90 seconds of the second half.

                The Stags found themselves down by as many as 13 points in the first half and 12 points by halftime. Fairfield started the second half by shaving off half of the disadvantage so that it only trailed by six points, 39-33, after five minutes. After some back and forth play between the teams, Fairfield was able to come within a point at 46-45 at the 7:15 mark after another Taliaferro three pointer.

                The Bobcats answered with a three-point shot of their own and made it a two-possession game again on the next possession. Fairfield would eventually grab the lead on a pair of free throws by Taliaferro, making the score 56-55 with 1:29 showing on the clock.

Rich Kelly came down court on the ensuing possession and successfully drove to the basket to push Quinnipiac back in front, 57-56 with 1:20 on the clock. Fairfield would gain the lead one last time when Jesus Cruz scored the last of his team-high 22 points on a driving layup with 15 seconds remaining, bringing the score to 58-57. The Bobcats missed their first chance at a game-winner but the ball was deflected out of bounds by a Fairfield player to give possession back to the visitors.

                This time, Rigoni received a pass from Kevin Marfo just outside the three-point line and converted into the game winning points. Rigoni finished the night with nine points, second only to Kelly's team-high 16 points. Taj Benning and Taliaferro added 13 and 12 points respectively to the Stags box score.

                "We gave up too many threes and didn't do a good job defending the three-point shot in the first half," Head Coach Jay Young said. "We did a much better job of defending in the second half but just came up a couple of points short. I'm proud of our effort and proud of our fight but give Quinnipiac credit because they executed and made a big shot at the end."

                The Stags finish the home portion of their schedule on Sunday afternoon when they host Rider University at Alumni Hall. Game time is 2 pm. The game will also be the final men's basketball game at Alumni Hall with the construction of Fairfield's Arena and Convocation Center on the horizon.