THE OPENING TIP
Fairfield University Men's Basketball continues a season-opening road swing with a Sunday, Nov. 14 visit to Boston College. Opening tip from BC's Conte Forum (8,606) is scheduled for 4 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on ACC Network Extra and ESPN+ (availability may vary) with Eric Gallanty and Tim Collins calling the action.
 
LAST TIME OUT: PROVIDENCE HOLDS OFF STAGS, 80-73
Fairfield cut a 12-point second half deficit down to just one point in Tuesday's season opener at Providence, but the host Friars kept the Stags at arm's length to hang on to an 80-73 decision. Zach Crisler netted a career-high 14 points to lead four Stags scoring in double figures.
 
Crisler's 14 points included four of the Stags' nine three-pointers, while Jake Wojcik and rookie TJ Long each knocked down a pair of triples en route to 12 and 11 points, respectively. Taj Benning poured in 13 points and hauled in a team-leading seven rebounds. Supreme Cook's nine points helped fuel the Stags' 32 points in the paint, as did four from Chris Maidoh, two of which came from the finishing end of a thunderous alley-oop.
 
In total, nine different Stags contributed to the team's 73 points.
 
STRONG STARTS
TJ Long saw the most time on the court of Fairfield's three newcomers at Providence and responded with 11 points in his 18 minutes off the bench. Long's output marked the fourth time in the last five years that a true freshman netted double figures in the Stags' season opener. Jalen Leach scored 10 in Fairfield's season debut at Providence last season, Neftali Alvarez had a team-high 16 points at Purdue in the 2018-19 opener, and Wassef Methnani began his career with 20 points in the 2017-18 season-opening win over Penn.
 
THE BOSTON COLLEGE EAGLES AT A GLANCE
Boston College started the 2021-22 season with a 73-57 home win over Dartmouth on Tuesday evening in the Eagles' debut for Head Coach Earl Grant. DeMarr Langford Jr. scored 16 points and Quinten Post added 14 to lead the scoring effort against Big Green. The Eagles will host Holy Cross on Friday before welcome the Stags to Conte Forum.
 
Boston College has the seventh-lowest percentage nationally of minutes played returning for 2021-22, as returning BC players accounted for 27.6% of minutes played a season ago. The Eagles were tabbed for 15th in the ACC Predicted Order of Finish, as voted on by select media members.
 
THE EAGLES IN 2020-21
Boston College went 4-16 overall and 2-11 in the ACC during the 2020-21 campaign. The Eagles defeated Rhode Island and Maine during the non-conference slate and bested Miami and Notre Dame during league play. BC was ousted by Duke in the opening round of the ACC Tournament.
 
LAST MEETING (BOSTON COLLEGE WINS 77-67 -- DEC. 16, 2018)
Calvin Whipple knocked down seven three-pointers on his way to a team-high 21 points as the Stags nearly upset ACC opponent Boston College at Conte Forum before falling, 77-67. Fairfield trailed by only four points at 71-67 with two minutes remaining and possession of the ball, but a clean look from distance off the hot hand of Whipple clanged off the rim, and BC went on to score the game's final six points to close out the victory.
 
The only current Stag to play in that contest was Jesus Cruz, who posted 10 points, five rebounds and five assists in 30 minutes of action. The Eagles were led by 22 points from Chris Herren Jr. and a 19-point, 12-rebound showing by Ky Bowman. No current members of BC took the court in the meeting three seasons ago.
 
NOTES ON THE ALL-TIME SERIES
The Stags and Eagles are meeting for the 39th time dating back to 1952. Boston College holds a 27-11 lead in the series, including the most recent encounter at Conte Forum during the 2018-19 campaign. The teams met annually from the 1957-58 season through the 1979-80 season and have played a dozen times in the 40 years since.
 
Fairfield has won two of the last five meetings, snapping Boston College's eight-game winning streak in the series with a 75-70 win in 1998. The Stags also picked up a win over the Eagles in 2016 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville.
 
The Stags' most successful stretch came from 1975-79, winning three straight and four out of five over the Eagles.
 
The teams have met once in the postseason -- a clash in the 2003 National Invitation Tournament at Webster Bank Arena.
 
UP NEXT
This Tuesday, the Stags open up the 15-game home schedule with a visit from Medgar Evers College. Tip-off from Webster Bank Arena is slated for 7 p.m. with all of the action broadcast live by the Stags Sports Network on ESPN3.