BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – After six ties and 11 lead changes, Fairfield University Men's Basketball trailed by one point with possession in the final minute of Thursday's Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) clash with Monmouth. However, the trip came up empty and the visiting Hawks sank a pair of free throws to seal a 61-58 decision. Taj Benning scored 13 points for Fairfield, including the 1,000th of his career, as one of three Stags to net double figures.
 
"I'm proud of our guys and how we competed against a very good team. Unfortunately, it was more of the same story where we couldn't get a big basket when we needed it," said Head Coach Jay Young. "But I believe in this team, and we're going to get back in the gym and keep working, and we're going to keep getting better."
 
Benning is the 45th member of Fairfield's 1,000 Point Club. His 1,007 points to date move him ahead of his former teammate Jonathan Kasibabu '19 and into 44th place all-time for the Stags.
 
Jake Wojcik led the Fairfield scoring tonight with 15 points, knocking down five of the Stags' 10 three-pointers. Wojcik has hit four or more triples in four of the last five games, and is shooting 43.4 percent (23-for-53) from downtown against MAAC opponents.
 
Jesus Cruz was the third Stag in double figures, scoring seven of Fairfield's final eight points down the stretch as a part of his 14 for the game.
 
In total, all eight Stags to check into the contest contributed to the scoring. Chris Maidoh made his first start of the year and netted five points, Supreme Cook tallied four, Allan Jeanne-Rose scored three and the duo of Zach Crisler and TJ Long came off the bench and chipped in two points apiece.
 
Cook paced the Stags on the glass with six rebounds and Cruz hauled in five, but Monmouth won the war under the boards by a 33-22 count. Fairfield was on the plus side of the turnover battle, forcing 16 Hawks' miscues while committing 12 giveaways of their own.
 
George Papas led all scorers with 16 points for Monmouth and Walker Miller added 11 along with his team-high six rebounds.
 
The Stags led the game at the intermission, with Benning scoring the last five points of the period – including the trey that edged him over 1,000 for his career – to turn a 31-28 deficit into a 33-31 lead at the break. Fairfield's final lead in the back-and-forth affair came on another Benning triple with 10:34 to go that pushed the Stags in front, 47-45.
 
However, that bucket was the Stags' last field goal for nearly eight minutes. Despite a strong defensive showing that kept the game in striking distance, the drought allowed the Hawks to grab a 57-53 lead. Cruz ended the spell, corralling an offensive board off a missed free throw and finishing a layup with 2:6 to play. After Marcus McClary answered for the Hawks, Cruz knocked down his second three-pointer of the evening, trimming the margin to 59-58 with 1:52 remaining.
 
The Stags got the stop they needed on the next trip as Cook rejected Monmouth's 6-11 center Miller, but Fairfield came up empty on the ensuing trip. After another scoreless possession for the Hawks, Benning drove to the rim for the go-ahead layup, but Miller met him and denied the offering to keep Monmouth in front. Myles Ruth would convert two free throws to extend the visitors' cushion to 61-58, and Cruz's heave at the buzzer was off the mark as the Hawks escaped Webster Bank Arena with the three-point win.
 
Tonight's game was Fairfield's last home outing before a three-game MAAC road swing featuring visits to Marist, Rider and the return trip to Monmouth.
 
The Stags will return to Webster Bank Arena for a six-game homestand beginning on Sunday, Feb. 6 against Siena.