FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Fairfield University Men's Basketball will be on the road for the first time since Dec. 1, traveling to Iona to challenge the defending MAAC Regular Season Champion Gaels on Friday, Jan. 13 at 7 p.m. The action from the Hynes Center in New Rochelle will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
 
LAST TIME OUT: NIAGARA 77, FAIRFIELD 69 (OT)
Jake Wojcik made two free throws with one-tenth of a second left as Fairfield erased a five-point deficit in the final 20 seconds to force overtime with visiting Niagara last Friday evening at Mahoney Arena. However, the Purple Eagles were the aggressors in the extra session, pulling away for a 77-69 decision. Caleb Fields and Supreme Cook each scored 17 points, with Cook also hauling in a career-best 17 rebounds -- tying the mark for the most boards by a MAAC player in a game this season.
 
In addition to 17 apiece for Cook and Fields, Allan Jeanne-Rose netted nine points and Chris Maidoh scored eight. Wojcik's clutch free throws capped a seven-point day, with Jalen Leach adding six and Long scoring four. Cook's 17 rebounds – matching the most by a MAAC player this season – guided the Stags to a 44-40 advantage on the glass.
 
FREE THROWS LEAD TO FREE HOOPS
Jake Wojcik's two clutch free throws with "00.1" showing on the clock last Friday was the latest the Stags have scored in regulation to win or tie a game since Taj Benning's layup at the horn to send Fairfield into an extra session of last season's win over Canisius.
 
Between an official review and a Niagara full timeout, Wojcik waited four minutes of "real time" between the initial foul call and receiving the ball for his first free throw, but calmly swished both tosses to send the contest into overtime tied at 63-63.
 
THE IONA UNIVERSITY GAELS
Coming off of their first MAAC loss of the 2022-23 season, Iona enters Friday with a record of 11-5 overall and 4-1 in the conference. The Gaels are 5-0 on their home court this season and have won 20 straight at the Hynes Center dating back to the 2020-21 campaign.
 
The MAAC's top scoring offense is led by Daniss Jenkins, who ranks fourth in the league with 16.4 points per game and also tops the charts in assists with an even 5.0 helpers per game. Walter Clayton Jr. is right behind Jenkins with 16.1 point per contest. Clayton did not play in Iona's most recent outing and his status is questionable for Friday.
 
Nelly Junior Joseph adds another strong season in the post for the Gaels with 15.4 points per game and ranking third in the MAAC with 8.3 rebounds per game.
 
LAST MEETING
After erasing an early nine-point deficit to lead Iona, 29-27, late in the first half of the Feb. 20, 2022 matchup in New Rochelle, Fairfield was on the short side of an eight-minute dry spell as the Gaels raced out to a double-digit lead and never looked back. At the final horn, the hosts took the decision by a score of 76-58.
 
Supreme Cook led the Stags with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Cook guided the Stags to dead heat at 35-35 in the rebounding battle, including 12 offensive boards to Iona's 11.
 
While Cook was the only Stag in double figures, nine Fairfield players contributed to the scoring. Caleb Green drained three three-pointers to record nine points while Taj Benning and Zach Crisler each scored eight. A trio of Stags – Jake Wojcik, Jesus Cruz and Jalen Leach – finished with five points apiece. To round out the scoring, TJ Long scored four points and Allan Jeanne-Rose netted three.
 
Five different Stags had two assists apiece as Fairfield dished out 11 helpers on their 19 field goals. They were also below their season average with just 10 turnovers.
 
Iona was also led by a double-double in the post as Nelly Junior Joseph notched 15 points and 10 boards. Elijah Joiner was also in double figures for the Gaels with 10 points along with four assists.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES
After 119 meetings with the Iona College Gaels, Fairfield meets the Iona University Gaels for the first time this Friday. By any name, Iona leads the all-time series by a count of 73-46. Fairfield has split the regular season series with the Gaels in five of the last seven seasons.
 
SUPREME'S COURT
After posting a monster statline of 17 points and 17 rebounds last Friday against Niagara, Supreme Cook is averaging a team-high 13.2 points per game and slots second in the MAAC with 8.8 boards per contest.  Cook is also seventh in the MAAC in field goal percentage (.533) and 11th in free throw percentage (.680). He tops the MAAC in free throws made and attempted, ranking 26th nationally with 103 tosses from the charity stripe.
 
GAINING ON A GRAND
Jake Wojcik enters Friday's game with 986 points in his collegiate career. Wojcik scored 346 points in two seasons at Richmond from 2018-20 and has netted 640 points to date in three campaigns with the Stags.
 
With 14 more points, Wojcik would join a unique list of student-athletes who netted their 1,000th career point in a Fairfield uniform but did not score all 1,000 of those tallies as a Stag.
 
Kim Fisher (1,338 points)
593 at Essex CC, 745 at Fairfield
 
Danny Odums (1,305 points)
628 at Austin Peay, 677 at Fairfield
 
Caleb Green (1,085 points)
633 at Holy Cross, 452 at Fairfield
 
Richie O'Connor (1,001 points)
550 at Duke, 451 at Fairfield
 
SETTLE FOR SEVEN
With the Dec. 22 game against Drexel postponed and not currently rescheduled, Fairfield did not set play a program-record eight-game homestand as originally anticipated. However, the seven-game stretch of home contests from Dec. 3 to Jan. 6 ties the program standard established in 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 wrap up their MAAC road weekend on Sunday, Jan. 15 at Saint Peter's. Opening tip from Run Baby Run Arena is set for 2 p.m.