JERSEY CITY, N.J. – At the end of both halves, the Fairfield University men's basketball team faced a double-digit deficit. And at the end of both halves, the Stags rallied which propelled the team to a 55-50 win over Saint Peter's University on Saturday evening.

              Head Coach Jay Young's team stared down a 10-point disadvantage with 7:37 left in the first half at 15-5. He watched his team make stops and score points over the final seven minutes which sent the Stags into the locker room all even at 17-17.

               Later in the game, Fairfield was down 11 points, 37-26, with 11:29 left in the game before closing out the game by more than doubling their offensive output from the first 29 minutes of the game. The Stags outscored the Peacocks by a 29-13 count that pushed Fairfield to its second road win in as many dates.

              "We were fortunate to grind out a win today against a very good Saint Peter's team," Young said. "Tying the game at the end of the first half was key for us. And when we got down in the second half, we just kept fighting and made plays that won the game."

                Taj Benning was at heart of the comeback in both halves, finishing the game with 20 points to secure back-to-back 20-point performances for the first time in his career. The guard registered a career-best 23 points in the win over Quinnipiac last Monday.

                At the end of the first half, Benning was responsible for seven of the team's final 12 points to end the period including the tying three-point field goal with four seconds left. When Fairfield trailed 46-43, Benning hit a three pointer and followed with a two pointer to put the Stags in front for good with just over two minutes remaining.

              "Taj kept us in the game all night," Young said. "He has been rock steady for us all season and tonight was just another example."

              Coach Young also pointed out the play of Jake Wojcik down the stretch as well as the junior netted all three of his three-point field goals over the final 11 minutes of the game including the shot that iced the game. Fairfield held a 51-48 edge with one minute on the clock but doubled that lead when Wojcik connected from behind the arc with 18 seconds remaining.

               "Jake's play at the end was important for us," Young said. "He continues to make big shots especially late in the game."

                Fairfield's defense was also instrumental in the outcome as it held Saint Peter's to four field goals over the final 11 minutes. The Stags recorded five blocked shots during the game with three coming from Chris Maidoh while Supreme Cook was responsible for other two rejections. Maidoh put forth another strong effort, finishing the night with 13 points, seven rebounds, and two steals. Cook collected eight rebounds to go along with his blocks.

               The defensive effort meshed well with the Stags' strong ball movement in the second half and it was that combination that set up the team for success.

               "We moved the ball better tonight and made shots which is something that has been missing," Young said.

                Matthew Lee led all Saint Peter's scorers with 11 points, a total which was one better than teammate Daryl Banks III's 10 points. KC Ndefo, the nation's top shot blocker with 4.1 per game, fouled out after being on the court for 22 minutes. The forward still managed to reject a pair of shots and score six points during his time.

               Fairfield will face Saint Peter's once again on Sunday evening which will close out the two-game set. The two teams will tip off at 5 pm.