THE OPENING TIP
Fairfield University Men's Basketball begins a six-game homestand on Sunday with a 2 p.m. visit from Siena. All of the action between the Stags and Saints will be broadcast live by the Stags Sports Network on ESPN+.
 

• Webster Bank Arena Box Office – The Box Office is a preferred cashless site. Single game tickets for all Fairfield home games can be purchased in advance at fairfieldstags.com/basketballtix.
• Webster Bank Arena Concessions – All food and beverage vendors will be cashless including the bar inside the Stags Club. All major credit cards are accepted.
• Parking – Season parking passes are still available for purchase at fairfieldstags.com/TIX. The parking garage and lots surrounding Webster Bank Arena accept cash only on gameday
• FREE Student Tickets – Admission is free for current Fairfield University students by presenting a valid StagCard
• FREE Student Shuttle – A student shuttle will run continuously from the BCC traffic circle to Webster Bank Arena beginning at 6 p.m.
• $5 Student Parking – Fairfield students with a StagCard can park in any of outdoor lots surrounding Webster Bank Arena for only $5 (cash only).
• Covid-19 Policy – Per the city of Bridgeport, all spectators are required to wear masks at all times while inside Webster Bank Arena unless actively eating or drinking.

 
PRE-GAME PRESENTATION: 1,000 POINT TRIO
Fairfield Men's Basketball will recognize its tri-captains -- Taj Benning, Caleb Green and Jesus Cruz -- for reaching the 1,000 career point mark.
 
Benning is the 45th member of the Stags' 1,000 Point Club. He has compiled 1,049 career tallies to move into 39th all-time.
 
Green has reached exactly 1,000 points in his collegiate career, having scored 633 in two seasons at Holy Cross and 367 to date in two active campaigns at Fairfield.
 
Cruz, who netted his 1,00th point last season but was not recognized in front of a home crowd due to Covid-19 protocols, is now 15th on the career charts with 1,351 points.
 
LAST TIME OUT
A three-pointer from Marcus McClary went high off the glass and found the bottom of the net with 0.6 seconds to play as Fairfield was on the short side of a 59-56 decision on Friday evening at Monmouth. The Stags had trailed by as many as eight points in the second half before rallying to push the Hawks to the limit on their home court on the Jersey Shore.
 
TJ Long came off the bench and led the Stags with 18 points, knocking down four three-pointers and also hauling in seven rebounds. Jesus Cruz, who twice tied the score in the final 80 seconds of the game, finished with 12 points to go along with six boards. Supreme Cook also reached double figures with 11 points and matched Long's team best of seven rebounds.
 
THE SIENA COLLEGE SAINTS AT A GLANCE
A 74-60 home loss to Rider snapped a three-game winning streak for Siena, falling to 9-9 overall and 6-4 in the MAAC. Siena will come to Webster Bank Arena on the heels of a four-game homestand that feauted wins over Niagara, Quinnipiac and Canisius before Friday's loss to the Broncs.
 
Siena is led offensively by Colby Rogers, the fifth-most prolific scorer in the MAAC with 14.8 points per game. Rogers has compiled the bulk of his scoring total from beyond the arc, where he shoots 43.6% with 48 made treys in 17 games. As a team, the Saints are last in the MAAC in scoring with 65.7 points per game and seventh defensively with 70.0 points allowed per contest.
 
LAST MEETING: SIENA 69, FAIRFIELD 62 (1/9/22 in Albany, N.Y.)
Fairfield led for most of its game on Jan. 9 at Siena before the Saints used a late run to gain the margin needed to edge the Stags, 69-62.
 
Supreme Cook picked up his second straight double-double, sharing the team-high of 14 points and garnering a game-high 11 rebounds. Jesus Cruz equaled Cook's point total, scoring 14 points off the bench by connecting on six of nine field goal attempts. Taj Benning also reached double figures with his 13 points and added six rebounds to the cause.
 
Fairfield scored 38 points in the paint, which was aided by the team's 13 points off turnovers. The Stags forced the Saints into 13 turnovers with seven of those coming off steals. Caleb Green and Allan Jeanne-Rose were responsible for two steals each.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES
Siena has won seven straight and 10 of the last 12 meetings to hold a 45-32 lead in an all-time series that dates back to 1959. Fairfield's best run in the series came from 1995-98, winning seven of eight encounters. The Stags' last win came in Albany in 2018 as a part of a home-and-home series sweep for Fairfield.
 
BANK HOLIDAY
Sunday's game against Siena is the start of a six-game homestand for the Stags from Feb. 6-18. The stretch is the longest homestand comprised solely of conference games in both Fairfield and MAAC history, excluding the "back-to-back" scheduling model used due to Covid-19 concerns during the 2020-21 season.
 
The streak is also the longest ever for the Stags at Webster Bank Arena and the longest overall 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.
 
SECOND TIME AROUND
Last season, the Stags went 8-5 when seeing an opponent for the second (or third) time. In addition to the MAAC "back-to-backs" that comprised the majority of last season's schedule, this record also includes the second non-conference meeting with Hartford and seeing Manhattan, Saint Peter's and Iona for a third time in the MAAC Championship.
 
The Stags are 1-1 in return games this year, defeating Marist on Jan. 23 in their second meeting while falling at Monmouth this past Friday.
 
UP NEXT
The Stags' homestand at Webster Bank Arena continues on Wednesday, Feb. 9 against in-state rival Quinnipiac at 7 p.m.