FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Following an unplanned two-week layoff from competition, Fairfield University Men's Basketball resumes the MAAC schedule on Friday, Jan. 7 with a visit from Marist. Opening tip-off from Webster Bank Arena is set for 7 p.m. with Bob Heussler and Joe DeSantis calling the action for the Stags Sports Network on ESPN+.

Tickets for Friday's game are on sale now at Ticketmaster and the Webster Bank Arena box office. Fans who plan to attend any home game this season are advised of the following:

• Webster Bank Arena Box Office – The Box Office is a preferred cashless site. Single game tickets for all Fairfield home games can be purchased in advance at fairfieldstags.com/basketballtix.
• Webster Bank Arena Concessions – All food and beverage vendors will be cashless including the bar inside the Stags Club. All major credit cards are accepted.
• Parking – Season parking passes are still available for purchase at fairfieldstags.com/TIX. The parking garage and lots surrounding Webster Bank Arena accept cash only on gameday
• FREE Student Tickets – Admission is free for current Fairfield University students by presenting a valid StagCard
• $5 Student Parking – Fairfield students with a StagCard can park in any of outdoor lots surrounding Webster Bank Arena for only $5 (cash only). Please note that the free student shuttle will not run for home games from Dec. 18 - Jan. 11. It will resume when dorms reopen for the spring semester.
• Covid-19 Policy – Per the city of Bridgeport, all spectators are required to wear masks at all times while inside Webster Bank Arena unless actively eating or drinking.

LAST TIME OUT
In a game that featured six ties and nine lead changes, visiting Wagner was the team that emerged from the stalemate on Dec. 23 at Webster Bank Arena, pulling away from Fairfield to claim a 63-50 decision. The Stags were led by Caleb Green and Chris Maidoh with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
 
Green's 11 points included two of Fairfield's six three-pointers. Zach Crisler also canned a pair from distance en route to six points. Maidoh scored six of his 10 in the second half, shooting 4-for-5 from the field. Eight Stags scored in total, with Taj Benning falling just shy of a double-double with nine points and a game-high nine rebounds.
 
The Stags were edged in the rebounding battle for just the second time this season, hauling in 31 caroms to Wagner's 38. Both squads collected nine offensive boards, with Fairfield as the more opportunistic team converting 10 second-chance points compared to six for the Seahawks. Wagner made up the difference in turnovers, turning 12 Stags' giveaways into 15 points while the Stags managed only six points off nine takeaways.
 
NON-CONFERENCE WRAP-UP
Fairfield closed out its non-conference schedule with a mark of 6-5. The Stags' six non-conference wins this season are the most since the 2015-16 team went 6-4 in its non-league slate (postseason games not included). Fairfield has not won seven regular season non-conference games since the 2012-13 team went 8-5 outside of the MAAC.
 
THE MARIST COLLEGE RED FOXES AT A GLANCE
One of only four MAAC teams to take the court this past weekend, Marist dropped a 69-66 decision at Iona last Sunday to fall to 6-6 overall and 1-2 in the conference. Both of the Red Foxes' league losses are to Iona, while the victory is a 79-67 win at Rider.
 
Marist also owns non-conference triumphs over Columbia, VMI, Binghamton, Boston U. and Bethune-Cookman. They were handed losses in the non-league slate by American, Princeton, Army and Navy.
 
Ricardo Wright paces the Red Foxes offensively with 13.9 points per game, with standout freshman Jao Ituka netting 13.1 points per outing. Samkelo Cele is one point shy of averaging double figures at 9.9 ppg.
 
THE RED FOXES IN 2020-21
Marist went 12-9 overall and 10-8 in the MAAC last season. The Red Foxes earned the fourth seed in the MAAC Championship, where they were clipped by fifth-seeded Niagara in the quarterfinals, 67-62.
 
LAST MEETING: FAIRFIELD 55, MARIST 52 (1/16/2021)
In what became a hallmark of the Stags' 2020-21 season, Fairfield bounced back in the second game of back-to-back meetings with Marist, recovering from a 73-63 loss 24 hours earlier with a 55-52 victory in Poughkeepsie.
 
Jake Wojcik led three Stags in double figures with 12 points, while Caleb Green netted 11 and Taj Benning scored 10. Benning also hauled in 10 rebounds to polish off a double-double.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES
Fairfield owns a 39-26 lead in an all-time series that dates back to Jan. 23, 1984. Since Marist joined the MAAC beginning in the 1997-98 campaign, the Stags hold a 30-21 lead in the series.
 
The clubs have met three times in the MAAC Championship, with Marist earning an overtime win in 1998 and the Stags picking up postseason victories over the Red Foxes in 2011 and on their way to the championship game in 2018.
 
SCHEDULE SHAKEUP
Fairfield's last two MAAC games were postponed in compliance with Covid-19 protocols throughout the conference. The Dec. 31 game against Manhattan has been moved to Feb. 16, while the Jan. 2 visit from Iona will be played this coming Tuesday, Jan. 11. Both games will tip off from Webster Bank Arena at 2 p.m.
 
Tickets previously purchased for both games will be honored. All fans that purchased tickets will be contacted directly with more information.
 
A GAME NOTE TOO GOOD TO WASTE
The postponed game against Manhattan, originally slated for Dec. 31, was set to be the fifth occurrence of Fairfield playing the same MAAC opponent four times in a calendar year. Previously, the Stags played Iona four times in both 1987 and 2020, Rider on four occasions in 2012, and Siena four times in 2010.
 
1,000 IN THEIR SIGHTS
Taj Benning enters Friday's game with 951 career points, the closest active Stag to becoming the 45th member of the program's 1,000 Point Club. In addition, Caleb Green has scored a total of 970 points between his two seasons at Holy Cross and his two-year tenure as an active member of the Stags.
 
Jesus Cruz netted his 1,000th point last season and has since risen to 19th on the career charts with 1,279 points. Next on the list for Cruz is Anthony Johnson, who scored 1,292 points for the Stags from 2006-10. If maintained, Cruz's current 2021-22 scoring average of 7.6 points per game would slot him in 13th place all-time (1,416 points) if he appears in every game for the remainder of the regular season.
 
I AM IRON MAN
Jesus Cruz is chasing another Fairfield milestone, as Friday's game against Marist is slated to be his 137th game played as a Stag. The record currently belongs to Colin Nickerson, who played 138 games for Fairfield from 2009-13.
 
Taj Benning will take the court for the 126th time on Friday. If he plays every game the rest of the way, he will likely finish second behind only Cruz in total games played as a Stag.
 
UP NEXT
Friday's game is the start of a stretch in which the Stags will play three MAAC games in five days. Up next is a trip to Siena on Sunday, Jan. 9 before returning home to host Iona on Tuesday, Jan. 11.
 
Siena is currently 4-6 overall and 1-1 in the MAAC, while the Gaels have run off five straight wins to improve to 12-2 overall and 3-0 in the conference. Neither team is currently slated to play again prior to their upcoming clash with the Stags.