BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – A 15-2 run staked Fairfield Men's Basketball to a 10-point lead early in the second half of the Stags' clash with Loyola Maryland on Sunday at Webster Bank Arena. But it was the Greyhounds' own 15-2 spurt down the stretch that proved decisive as the visitors headed back to Baltimore with a 75-70 decision. TJ Long and Supreme Cook both scored new career highs for Fairfield with 21 and 19 points, respectively.
 
The loss snaps a three-game winning streak for the Stags, evening their record at 3-3 on the season. The 75-70 score was Fairfield's fourth single-digit margin in six outings this season, including all three setbacks. Loyola improves to 3-4 with their second consecutive victory.
 
"First of all, credit to Loyola. They really executed their stuff and made big shots deep in the shot clock," said Head Coach Jay Young. "I thought we scored enough points to win the game today, but our defense let us down and that's disappointing. Our guards let their shot-making dictate the rest of their play; we needed to get more stops when our shots weren't falling."
 
Long's 21 points include a 5-for-8 showing from distance for the rookie. He scored 10 points late in the first half as the Stags built their lead and canned back-to-back treys in the second frame to turn a 51-51 deadlock into a 57-51 advantage with 11 minutes to go.
 
The 21 tallies for Long fueled the Stags to 32 bench points as Jesus Cruz netted seven in a reserve role and Chris Maidoh shot 2-for-2 down low to total four points off the bench.
 
For Cook, his career-best 19 points included an 8-for-8 shooting performance from the floor as well as 3-of-4 conversions at the stripe. The sophomore also hauled in nine rebounds to pace the Stags to a 31-23 advantage on the glass. Taj Benning corralled seven rebounds, and all three of Cruz's rips came from the offensive boards.
 
Rounding out the scoring, Caleb Green matched his season high seven points along with two assists and no turnovers at the point. Benning was also proficient as a distributor with six assists and no giveaways along with his four points. Zach Crisler knocked down one three-pointer to make it eight Stags in the scoring column this afternoon.
 
The decisive run for Loyola came over the final six minutes of the game. After a Wojcik jumper and a Long layup staked the Stags to a 65-60 advantage, the Greyhounds tallied the game's next nine points to surge to a 69-65 lead. Cook ended the scoring drought after four minutes with a pair of free throws, but Golden Dike followed with a dunk in transition and, after a pair of empty trips for the Stags, Cam Spencer tallied the final two of his team-high 20 points with 50 seconds on the clock.
 
Long's fifth triple of the day kept the Stags in striking distance in the closing seconds, but Fairfield was unable to capitalize on a turnover as time ticked away on a 75-70 final score.
 
In addition to Spencer's 20 points, Kenneth Jones scored 16 points guided by a 4-for-6 shooting day from beyond the arc. As a unit, the Greyhounds were 9-for-16 (52.9 percent) from distance and 30-for-54 (55.6 percent) overall.
 
Up next, the Stags enter December with a short foray into the MAAC schedule. Fairfield makes the longest trip of the conference slate, heading to Western New York to challenge Canisius on Dec. 3 and Niagara on Dec. 5. The Stags will play five of their next six games on the road with the lone appearance at Webster Bank Arena set for Wednesday, Dec. 8 with a visit from Holy Cross.