Fairfield University Athletics

FAIRFIELD, Conn. – After limiting defending Ivy League Champion Yale to just 24 points in the first half of Monday's in-state matchup at Leo D. Mahoney Arena, Fairfield University Men's Basketball saw the visiting Bulldogs pour in 53 points after the break as the Stags fell in the non-conference clash, 77-64. Supreme Cook led Fairfield with 17 points and eight rebounds, and Allan Jeanne-Rose added 16 points.
 
The loss is Fairfield's first at Mahoney Arena after back-to-back victories over Saint Peter's and Sacred Heart to open the new venue. The Stags now stand at 4-7 on the season. Yale bounces back from a loss at #16 Kentucky on Saturday to improve to 9-3.
 
"It was a good job by Yale, they dominated the second half," said Head Coach Jay Young. "We've gone through some offensive droughts, but it's about our defense. We've got to get teams to miss, and we didn't do that tonight."
 
The Stags started strong on both ends of the court with seven players contributing points during a 17-5 over the opening 9:30 of action. The Bulldogs cut that margin down to six points before Zach Crisler and James Johns Jr. responded with back-to-back three-pointers to stake Fairfield to a 23-11 advantage with 7:55 to go in the period. Yale again fought back, this time with a 13-2 spurt to trim the deficit to a single point at 25-24. Fairfield had the final strike of the period with back-to-back Cook buckets – the last on a one-handed slam off a Jeanne-Rose feed in the final minute of the frame. The throwdown brought the Red Sea to its feet and sent the Stags into the half with a 29-24 advantage.
 
A pair of Jeanne-Rose baskets and a Jake Wojcik three-pointer had the Stags back out to a 36-28 lead in the opening minutes of the second half, but that triple was Fairfield's last field goal for nearly five minutes. The Bulldogs momentarily surged into the lead during the stretch, but the Stags shot 4-for-4 from the free throw line during that span, then Caleb Fields ended the drought with a three-pointer to put Fairfield back in front, 45-44 with 11:48 to go.
 
The Stag rebuilt a slim 49-46 lead as the second stanza reached its halfway point, but Yale's run proved decisive as the visitors scored the game's next 11 points to take a 57-49 edge that they would not relinquish. The Stags continued to put points on the board down the stretch, but the Bulldogs also kept up their offensive pace to close out a 77-64 final.
 
In addition to Cook's 17 points and the season-high 16 for Jeanne-Rose, Johns Jr. added eight points for the Stags and TJ Long scored seven.
 
Cook's eight rebounds led the Stags as the squad was edged, 35-30, on the board. Both teams committed 15 turnovers, with Yale netting 20 points off miscues to Fairfield's 17.
 
Up next, the Stags reach the halfway point of their eight-game homestand and challenge their third straight Connecticut foe with a Sunday, Dec. 18 visit from Coast Guard. The first-ever meeting between the Stags and Bears tips off from Mahoney Arena at 2 p.m.