SAVANNAH, Ga. – Fairfield University Men's Basketball eyes a second consecutive win at the Hostilo Hoops Community Classic with a Saturday, Nov. 26 clash with Mercer. Opening tip-off from Enmarket Arena in Savannah is set for 7:30 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT: FAIRFIELD 74, TOWSON 69
TJ Long scored a team-best 15 points and
Jake Wojcik canned three three-pointers in the second half as Fairfield defeated previously unbeaten Towson, 74-69, on Friday evening.
Caleb Fields added 11 points for the Stags to net double figures for the fifth straight game.
The Stags had their best offensive game of the year with season highs in points (74), field goals made (25), field goal percentage (.500), three-pointers made (11) and three-point percentage (.478).
The loss was Towson's first, falling to 5-1 after previously posting wins over Albany, UMass, Penn, UNCG and Coppin State. The reigning CAA regular season champion and the preseason favorite in the conference this year, the Tigers are currently ranked sixth in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25.
Jalen Leach went 4-for-4 at the stripe in the final 21 seconds to ice the game and run his total to a season-best nine points.
Supreme Cook finished with seven points and a team-high seven rebounds, with fellow posts
Makai Willis and
Chris Maidoh also scoring seven apiece.
THE WEEKEND SLATE
After meeting Towson and Mercer this weekend, the Stags' third game in three days is their first-ever meeting with Evansville on Sunday at 7:30 p.m.
The Aces are 1-5 on the season including a Friday evening loss to South Alabama, 78-67. Evansville goes head-to-head with Robert Morris on Saturday.
THE MERCER UNIVERSITY BEARS
Mercer evened its record to 3-3 on the season with a 72-66 win over Robert Morris on Friday. The Bears also own wins over Winthrop and Division III Milligan while falling to East Carolina, Georgia State and Florida State.
Mercer was just under .500 last season at 16-17, including an 8-10 record in the Southern Conference. The seventh-seeded Bears' season ended at the hands of second-seeded Furman in the SoCon Quarterfinals. Mercer was tabbed for seventh in the Preseason Coaches' Poll as well as by the SoCon media.
ALL-TIME SERIES
In the only prior meeting in the series, Mercer took a 64-59 decision at Alumni Hall in the 2012 CIT Semifinals. Rakim Samnders scored a team-hih 16 points in his final game as a Stag.
Mercer went on to win the CIT with a 70-67 victory at Utah State.
THE STAGS WENT DOWN TO GEORGIA
In 75 seasons of varsity basketball, Fairfield had played just one game in the state of Georgia prior to this weekend. Led by 15 points from Derek Needham, the Stags knocked off host Savannah State, 41-39, on Dec. 2, 2010.
UP NEXT
The Stags return north will mark the start of the first MAAC weekend of the season. Fairfield visits Manhattan on Thursday, Dec. 1 and then comes home to play its first-ever game at Leo D. Mahoney Arena on Saturday, Dec. 3 against reigning MAAC Champion Saint Peter's.
