FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The season-opening, eight-game road trip for Fairfield University Men's Basketball makes its third stop as the Stags head to Cincinnati for a Tuesday evening clash with Xavier. Opening tip-off from the Cintas Center is set for 9 p.m. with all of the action televised live on FS2.
 
LAST TIME OUT: NEW HAMPSHIRE 83, FAIRFIELD 71
Thirteen three-pointers for host New Hampshire kept Fairfield at arm's length for much of last Friday's clash in Durham. Despite climbing back to within six points early in the second half, the Stags could not overcome the hot shooting Wildcats in an 83-71 decision. New Hampshire shot 13-for-24 (54.2%) from distance, draining eight triples in the first half to build an early lead.
 
Fairfield was led by 19 points for Caleb Fields, who also paced the Stags with 14 tallies in Monday's opener at Wake Forest. Fields buried three three-pointers and also hauled in seven rebounds with a trio of steals in 33 minutes at the point guard spot.
 
James Johns Jr. made his Fairfield debut, providing a spark off the bench with 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting. Allan Jeanne-Rose and Brycen Goodine also netted double figures with 10 points apiece.
 
THE XAVIER UNIVERSITY MUSKETEERS
Xavier has opened its 2022-23 campaign with a pair of 20+ point wins, toppling Morgan State and Montana to stand at 2-0. They are currently unranked but receiving votes in both the Associated Press and USA TODAY Coaches' Poll.
 
The Musketeers were picked to finish second in the Big East Preseason Coaches' Poll and had Colby Jones and Jack Nunge tabbed for the Preseason All-Big East First Team.
 
Xavier finished 23-13 overall last season as the NIT Champion, knocking off Texas A&M, 73-72, in the final. The Musketeers were eighth in the Big East at 8-11, falling to ninth-seeded Butler in the opening round of the conference tournament.
 
Zach Freemantle paced Xavier in the opening week of action with 16.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.5 blocks and 2.0 steals in the wins over Morgan State and Montana. Nune added 15.5 points and 6.0 rebounds per contest with Jones netting 13.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and team-high 7.0 assists per game.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES
Tuesday will mark the third meeting between Fairfeld and Xavier and the first since 1968. George Bisacca's Stags earned wins in Cincinnati in the prior two clashes between the pair.
 
UP NEXT
The Stags play their first of seven New York games on Friday, Nov. 18 with a 7 p.m. visit to Wagner. The Seahawks, who host Division III Neumann on Monday, start the week at 1-1 after picking up a 76-73 overtime win at Temple followed by a 69-77 loss at La Salle.