FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The eight-game homestand for Fairfield University Men's Basketball at Leo D. Mahoney Arena reaches its halfway point as the Stags host their first-ever meeting with Coast Guard on Sunday, Dec. 18 at 2 p.m. All of the action will be broadcast live by the Stags Sports Network on ESPN+ with Bob Heussler and Joe DeSantis on the call.
 
LAST TIME OUT: YALE 77, FAIRFIELD 64
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 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.
 
In addition, James Johns Jr. added eight points 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.
 
THE STAGS VS. THE STATE
Including the recent meetings with Sacred Heart and Yale, Fairfield is 114-74 all-time against Connecticut opponents.
 
The Stags have not played three Connecticut teams on the non-conference slate since 2011-12, when Fairfield opened with a win over then-NEC Quinnipiac, visited defending National Champion UConn, and then defeated Yale in the opening round of the CIT.
 
The Stags are challenging three consecutive in-state foes for the first time since 1956 when they met New Haven Teachers' College (SCSU), Bridgeport and the Teachers' College of Connecticut (CCSU) in a six-day span.
 
THE UNITED STATES COAST GUARD ACADEMY BEARS
Coast Guard will be taking the court after an 11-day hiatus, most recently falling to Mitchell, 80-66, to drop to 2-6 on the year. Sunday's game will be an exhibition for the Bears.
 
Declan Rooney leads Coast Guard with 10.1 points per game, while Cameron Brown has pulled down a team-best 7.5 rebounds per contest.
 
IT'S ACADEMIC
Coast Guard will be the fourth different U.S. service academy to challenge the Stags. Fairfield is 21-12 all-time against the academies, with 26 of the matchups coming against former MAAC foe Army. Fairfield leads the series with the Black Knights, 18-8.
 
The Stags are also 3-0 all-time against the Merchant Marine Academy with all three meetings coming in the 1950s. Fairfield has never beaten Navy in four meetings from 1983-86, perhaps unsurprising as three of the four came when the Mids boasted future Hall of Famer David Robinson on their roster.
 
The Stags have never played against Air Force.
 
NET GAINS
In the Dec. 15 NET rankings, the Stag rank eighth in the MAAC and 267th of 363 in the nation. Fairfield has played the fourth-strongest non-conference schedule in the conference by NET ranking (179th nationally). The Stags' win over Towson stacks up as one of the best non-league victories by a MAAC team to date.
 
Iona owns a Quadrant 2 neutral-court win over Princeton (#69) and a top 100 Quadrant 3 home victory over Saint Louis (#90), while Siena has picked up a Quadrant 2 neutral-court victory over Seton Hall (#84).
 
Right below those wins - also in Quadrant 3 - are Quinnipiac's win over Montana State (#112) and the Stags' victory over Towson (#119).
 
The NET ranking replaced RPI exclusively in Division I Basketball beginning in 2018-19 as one of the primary metrics used for at-large selections and seeding for NCAA March Madness.
 
ONE AT A TIME
Supreme Cook shot 13-for-16 from the free throw line on Monday against Yale on his way to a team-leading 17 points. The last Stag to make 13 free throws in a game was Jesus Cruz, who was a perfect 13-for-13 against Canisius on Jan. 26, 2020 en route to 21 points in a win at Alumni Hall.
 
Cook's 16 attempts from the stripe on Monday marked the most by a Stag since Marcus Gilbert went 14-for-16 on charity tosses to account for half of his 28 points against Saint Peter's on Feb. 7, 2015.
 
UP NEXT
The Stags' final non-conference game of the season is set for Thursday, Dec. 22 with a 7 p.m. visit from Drexel. Fairfield will break for the holidays after meeting the Dragons and resumes MAAC play on Friday, Dec. 30 against visiting Marist.