FAIRFIELD, Conn. – A putback at the buzzer for Rider's Allen Powell forced overtime on Sunday afternoon at Leo D. Mahoney Arena, and the visiting Broncs outlasted Fairfield University Men's Basketball to escape with a 78-69 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference decision. Supreme Cook led the Stags with 16 points and a game-best 10 rebounds.
 
The Stags led by five, 65-60, with 31 seconds to play after a pair of Caleb Fields free throws. On the ensuing Rider possession, the Broncs got two offensive rebounds before Dwight Murray, Jr. canned a three-pointer to cut the margin to 65-63. After the Stags missed the front end of a one-and-one, Rider had one final trip to tie or win the game with 12.8 seconds to play. Fairfield again got the initial miss when a Murray pull-up drew iron, as did a putback from Ajiri Ogemuno-Johnson. But the second carom bounced out to Powell, who caught and released in one motion just before the horn and sank the game-tying bucket as time expired.
 
After Powell and Allan Jeanne-Rose traded baskets to open the extra session, the Broncs embarked on an 11-0 run that saw Fairfield held scoreless until a Jalen Leach layup at the final horn rounded out the final tally at 78-69 in favor of the visitors.
 
"It was a good college basketball game, and I thought Rider deserved to win, so congratulations to Rider and to Kevin [Baggett]," said Head Coach Jay Young. "We didn't rebound the ball well enough to win and that was the difference, obviously including that last play of regulation. Winning is hard, you've got to do hard things, and we didn't do enough of them today."
 
The loss ends the Stags' four-game winning streak as Fairfield moves to 10-11 overall and 6-5 in the MAAC. Rider sees its win streak improve to five consecutive games, going to 11-9 on the season with a 7-3 conference mark.
 
"We lost a close game to a tough opponent today," added Young. "So we'll do what we always do – get in the gym and try to get better and fix what needs to be fixed."
 
Cook's double-double was his sixth of the season as he not 7-for-9 from the floor on his way to 16 points. TJ Long accounted for 13 of the Stags' 17 bench points, knocking down three of the Fairfield's six three-pointers. Leach had 12 and Jeanne-Rose was the fourth Stag in double figures with 10. Cook was the top facilitator for the offense with three assists out of the post.
 
In addition to Cook's 10 rebounds, Leach hauled in five as the Stags were outpaced on the boards, 41-30. Rider had 18 second-chance points in the contest, contributing toward their 46 points in the paint.
 
Fairfield won the turnover battle with only six giveaways to the Broncs' 12. Cook had two steals as a part of that effort.
 
Up next, the Stags hit the road and the airwaves on Friday, Feb. 3 for a 7 p.m. clash at Quinnipiac. The game will be televised nationally on ESPNU.
 
The Bobcats, fell at Iona this afternoon to slide to 15-6 overall and 6-4 in the MAAC.