THE OPENING TIP
Fairfield University Men's Basketball is back on the road for the first time in 16 days, venturing to New Rochelle to challenge league-leading Iona. Opening tip from the Hynes Center is set for 1 p.m. with David Resnick and Vin Parise calling the action on ESPN3.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Trailing by as many as 12 points in the second half, Fairfield climbed back to within one possession of Saint Peter's on three occasions on Friday evening at Webster Bank Arena. But the Stags never drew even with the Peacocks as the visitors made several run-stopping buckets and hit 7-of-8 free throws in the final 50 seconds of the game to pull away with a 70-59 victory.
 
Four Stags scored in double figures in the loss, led by 12 points for Supreme Cook to go along with a team-best seven rebounds. On the perimeter, Taj Benning and Caleb Green each netted 11 points, and Jalen Leach pitched in 10 off the bench.
 
Chris Maidoh contributed seven points fueled by three highlight reel dunks – along with three blocked shots – and Jake Wojcik and TJ Long each sank of the Stags' six three-pointers to chip in three points apiece. Rounding out the scoring, Zach Crisler corralled and offensive rebound and put-back to finish with two points.
 
BACK ON THE ROAD
Sunday's game is only Fairfield's second road contest in the month of February. The Stags started the month at Monmouth for the finale of a three-game road swing on Feb. 4 and have since played six consecutive home games.
 
In total, Sunday's outing in New Rochelle wraps up a stretch of seven MAAC games in just 18 days.
 
THE IONA COLLEGE GAELS AT A GLANCE
After dropping their first two MAAC games of the season, the Iona Gaels have responded with back-to-back wins over Monmouth and Saint Peter's to improve to 21-5 overall and fortify their place atop the MAAC standings with a 13-2 league record. That records includes a perfect 10-0 tally at the Hynes Center.
 
Tyson Jolly posts a team-high 14.8 points per game to rank sixth in the MAAC. Nelly Junior Joseph is right behind him with an even 13.0 points per contest along with 8.1 rebounds per game -- good for second in the league.
 
LAST MEETING: IONA 80, FAIRFIELD 76 (1/11/22 at Webster Bank Arena)
A hot-shooting day kept the Stags in front of visiting Iona into the final minute of Tuesday afternoon's contest at Webster Bank Arena. But the defending MAAC Champion Gaels scored five points in the game's last 60 seconds to come away with an 80-76 decision. The Fairfield scoring effort was led by 24 points courtesy of the career-best eight three-pointers from Jake Wojcik.
 
Taj Benning also scored in double figures with 13 points and Supreme Cook battled foul trouble and Iona's formidable big man Nelly Junior Joseph to notch 10 points.
 
All eight Stags to take the court contributed to the scoring, with Caleb Green added nine points, TJ Long hitting two three-pointers on the way to eight points, Jesus Cruz scoring six, Zach Crisler tallying four points and Allan Jeanne-Rose finishing with two.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES
One of the Stags' most frequent opponent with 118 meetings to date, Iona leads the all-time series by a count of 72-46. Fairfield has split the regular season series with the Gaels in five of the last six seasons.
 
SEE YOU (MUCH) LATER
The Stags saw Saint Peter's for the first time on Friday night in their 16th MAAC game of the season. This scheduling quirk his has only happened once before at Fairfield in seasons with a 20-game MAAC slate (excluding the "back-to-back" schedule in 2020-21). In the 2014-15 campaign, Fairfield did not meet Niagara for the first time until the 17th MAAC game of the season.
 
BANK HOLIDAY
The Stags recently wrapped up a six-game homestand spanning from Feb. 6-18. The stretch is the longest homestand comprised solely of conference games in both Fairfield and MAAC history, excluding the unique "back-to-back" scheduling model that was used due to Covid-19 concerns during the 2020-21 season.
 
The streak is also the longest ever at Webster Bank Arena and the longest overall for the Stags since a program-record seven consecutive home games during the 1986-87 MAAC Championship season. That run saw Fairfield host La Salle, Lehigh, Fordham, Saint Peter's, Manhattan, Iona and Yale all in succession. However, only six of those games were played to completion at Alumni Hall, as the Jan. 10 meeting with Fordham was suspended and then finished in the Bronx on Feb. 7.
 
UP NEXT
The Stags will take a week off from competition before starting the final week of the MAAC regular season with a Sunday, Feb. 27 visit to Manhattan.