PHILADELPHIA – Fairfield University Men's Basketball erased a 13-point deficit in the second half of Saturday's first-ever meeting with Queens University to take a 53-51 lead with 6:15 to go. But the Royals made the game's last run to come away with a 69-63 decision at the Market Street Challenge hosted by Drexel. Peyton Smith led the Fairfield scoring effort with a career-best 16 points.
 
"I'm proud of the way we fought back in the second half tonight," said Interim Head Coach Chris Casey. "We need to learn how to finish games like this one, but every close game we play in this part of the season will ultimately help us when we get into the MAAC schedule."
 
Smith's 16 points came on 7-for-11 shooting from down low. He also pulled down a team-leading six rebounds in his 36 minutes of action. Caleb Fields and Brycen Goodine joined him in double figures with 13 and 11 points, respectively.
 
In total, seven Stags contributed to their 63 points. Jalen Leach added eight points, Jasper Floyd had seven, Louis Bleechmore chipped in five and Michael Rogan knocked down a key three-pointer in the second half.
 
Floyd also dished out a team-best five assists and Leach passed off three dimes.
 
Queens was led by 17 points from AJ McKee as well as a stuffed statsheet by Deyton Albury with 12 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.
 
The score was tied four times in the first half, the last one coming at 15-15 with just over 10 minutes on the clock. The Stags emerged from the deadlock with a 21-17 lead – their largest of the period – but would not score over the final 7:52 of the stanza as the Royals embarked on a 16-0 run to head into the locker room with a 33-21 advantage.
 
A McKee free throw started the second-half scoring and extended the Queens lead to its largest at 34-21. Goodine immediately put a dent into the margin with a four-point play, and Jasper Floyd later added an old-fashioned three-point play to cut the deficit to 38-32. Fairfield finally closed the gap on the back of Leach, who poured in a layup, a three-pointer and another three-point play as a part of a 10-2 run to flip the score to 48-46 in favor of the Stags with 9:49 remaining.
 
After the Royals reclaimed the lead with a three-pointer, Rogan provided the answer from distance to knot the game once again at 51-51. Smith followed with a bucket in the lane to swing the edge back to the Stags, but Fairfield was then held scoreless on its next three trips as Queens took a 57-53 lead. Fields ended the drought and halved the margin with a layup, but the Royals answered with a 5-for-6 stretch at the free throw line to pull out to a 62-57 advantage with under 90 seconds to go. After a pair of Fields free throws brought Fairfield back within one possession, the Stags got a stop but couldn't capitalize. The margin would grow as large as eight with Fairfield now fouling to preserve time, settling at 69-63 when the final horn sounded.
 
After a three-game week, the Stags are now off until Friday, Nov. 24 when action returns to campus for a visit from New Hampshire. Opening tip-off from Leo D. Mahoney Arena is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tickets are on sale now at FairfieldStags.com/TIX.