FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Fairfield University Men's Basketball takes a two-game winning streak on the road to Albany to meet the MAAC-leading Siena Saints on Sunday, Jan. 22. Opening tip from MVP Arena is slated for 2 p.m.
 
LAST TIME OUT: FAIRFIELD 67, CANISIUS 58
Jake Wojcik netted a season-high for the third straight game with 18 points to lead four players in double figures as Fairfield U surged past visiting Canisius, 67-58, in front of a crowd of 3,219 at Mahoney Arena on Friday evening. Supreme Cook recorded his fifth double-double of the season in the MAAC victory.
 
Wojcik's 18 points included four three-pointers, highlighted by a buzzer beater in transition to put the Stags on top at the half. Cook shot 6-for-11 from the line on his way to 15 points and pulled down a game-leading 12 rebounds, including six from the offensive glass. Allan Jeanne-Rose also poured in 15 points, and Caleb Field was the fourth Stag in double figures with 10 in his return to the lineup after a two-game absence due to injury.
 
In addition to Cook's dozen rebounds, Wojcik and Fields each hauled in five boards as the Stags gained a 34-29 victory on the glass. The Stags also won the turnover battle, 13-12, turning those 13 Canisius miscues into 16 points.
 
Fairfield held its opponent below 60 points for the eighth time this season, including five times during the MAAC slate. The Stags are 7-1 in those eight contests.
 
FOUR SCORE
In Friday night's win, four Stags scored in double figures in the same game for the third time this season. Previously, Fairfield had four players net 10 or more points on Nov. 11 at New Hampshire and in the Dec. 3 home win over Saint Peter's.
 
THE SIENA COLLEGE SAINTS
Siena welcomes the Stags to Albany as the MAAC frontrunner at 7-1 as part of a 13-6 overall record. The Saints bounced back from their first conference loss -- a 66-62 setback at Canisius -- with a 72-57 win over Mount St. Mary's on Friday at MVP Arena.
 
Siena ranks third in the MAAC with 70.8 points per game, guided by 16.5 per contest by Javian McCollum and a 14.1 per outing from Jackson Stormo. McCollum also rates third in the MAAC with an even 4.0 assists per game.
 
Defensively, Siena is eighth in the conference, conceding 67.6 points per game.
 
LAST MEETING
After trailing by as many as 18 points in the first half and by 16 with 13:09 left in the second period, Fairfield climbed back to within two points of visiting Siena, 63-61, with 2:15 remaining on Jan. 1 at Mahoney Arena. However, the Stags would not score again as the Saints pulled away to escape with a 70-61 decision. TJ Long led all scorers with 19 points.
 
Two days after scoring 19 of a career-high 25 in the second half of a win over Marist, Long scored 17 of his 19 after the break, knocking down five three-pointers with Fairfield on the comeback trail. Conversely, Allan Jeanne-Rose had 12 of his 15 before the intermission, keeping the Stags afloat while the offense struggled to find its stride.
 
Supreme Cook was the third Stag in double figures with 10 points along with five rebounds. Jeanne-Rose and Caleb Field were the Stags' leaders on the glass with eight caroms apiece as Fairfield was edged, 35-34, on the boards.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES
Siena has won nine straight and 12 of the last 14 meetings to hold a 47-32 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.
 
Aside from conference newcomer Mount St. Mary's, Siena is the only MAAC team that Head Coach Jay Young has never defeated as leader of the Stags.
 
SECOND TIME AROUND
With a win over Saint Peter's on Jan. 15, the Stags are 1-0 this season when seeing an opponent for the second time. The Stags went 6-6 in return games last year - 5-5 during the MAAC regular season and 1-1 in Atlantic City. Those six wins include two "payback" victories over opponents who had earned a result over Fairfield earlier in the campaign.
 
UP NEXT
The Stags make their first time to Emmitsburg, Md. since 1949 for their first-ever MAAC meeting at Mount St. Mary's on Thursday, Jan. 26.
 
Action returns to Mahoney Arena on Sunday, Jan. 29 for a visit from Rider.