FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Fairfield University Men's Basketball scored the first seven points of Sunday's visit from Wagner and never looked back en route to a 63-51 win over Wagner at Leo D. Mahoney Arena.
Jalen Leach posted 20 points and
Louis Bleechmore put up 11 points and nine rebounds in the Stags' fourth consecutive victory.
With the win, the Stags improve to 5-6 on the season. Fairfield also picks up its first home win of the current four-game streak, having previously gone on the road to knock off Rider, Yale and Sacred Heart in succession. Wagner falls to 4-6 with the loss.
"I'm happy with the way we came out and took a big lead. We knew Wagner was going to fight back – they're a tough and well-coached team – but we responded every time they started to come back," said Interim Head Coach
Chris Casey. "Every game is won in a different way, and finding what you need to win on any given day is a big part of what makes a good basketball team."
Leach's game-high 20 points marked his third 20+ point scoring game of the season. He has scored in double figures in six straight games and netted at least 15 points in all four outings on the Stags' current four-game winning streak.
Brycen Goodine came off the bench to add 15 points, including three of Fairfield's seven three-pointers. Along with Bleechmore's 11 points,
Caleb Fields just missed joining them in double figures with nine.
Jasper Floyd chipped in four points and was the Stags' top facilitator with six assists, while
Peyton Smith and
James Johns Jr. rounded out the scoring effort with two apiece.
Fueled by Bleechmore's nine rebounds, the Stags had a 37-35 edge on the glass. Leach and Fields pitched in six apiece and
Birima Seck hauled in five boards in 13 minutes of work.
The Stags only held a 14-13 edge in turnovers, sparked by three steals apiece from Leach and Fields, but Fairfield turned Wagner's 14 miscues into 25 points while the Seahawks managed just nine points off of the Stags' giveaways.
Wagner was led by 13 points from Melvin Council Jr.
The 18 seconds prior to a Fields' three-pointer on the opening possession marked the only time that the Stags didn't hold the lead. The triple started Fairfield on a 7-0 spurt before Tahron Allen got Wagner on the board with a putback. That layup was the Seahawks only field goal in their first 17 attempts as the Stags raced out to a 21-3 advantage over the opening 11 minutes of action. Fairfield never allowed Wagner to make an extended run in the period, but the Seahawks chipped away enough of the margin that a Tyje Kelton three-pointer just before the horn had the Fairfield lead trimmed down to a more manageable 31-22 count.
The second half featured numerous short runs for both squads with Wagner climbing to within seven and Fairfield responding with six in a row to balloon the lead back to 13 at 48-35. The Seahawks battled back to 48-42, but the Stags had another answer to make it a 56-45 game with 5:15 to go. One final push for Wagner was thwarted when Leach sank a pull-up three pointer from the top of the key followed by a Fields baseline fadeaway to rebuild a 61-48 lead for the Stags with 1:13 remaining. The final 73 seconds were academic with a score each way rounding out the final margin at 63-51.
The 32-29 tally after halftime marked the eighth time in 11 games that Fairfield outscored its opponent in the second half this season.
Up next, Fairfield eyes its first five-game winning streak since the 2021-22 season with a Thursday, Dec. 21 trip to last year's March Madness Cinderella, FDU. Opening tip from Hackensack, N.J. is set for 7 p.m. and will air live on the YES Network.
FDU is 6-6 on the season, most recently falling at home to Columbia, 87-83.
Action returns to Leo D. Mahoney Arena on Saturday, Dec. 30 when the Stags close out the 2023 calendar year with a 2 p.m. visit from Le Moyne.
