LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. – Twelve days after Rider's Allen Powell hit the buzzer beater that forced overtime at Mahoney Arena, Fairfield University Men's Basketball was on the short side of more heroics from the Broncs' senior guard. This time, Powell's baseline jumper with 7.3 seconds to go was the difference as first-place Rider topped the Stags, 58-57, in a game nationally televised on ESPNU. Supreme Cook led Fairfield with 16 points.
 
With the loss, the Stags move to 10-14 overall and 6-8 in the MAAC. Rider maintains its grip on first place in the MAAC with its eighth straight victory, improving to 14-9 on the season with an 11-3 conference mark.
 
"I'm proud of our effort. We went on the road to play the best team in the league, and we fought hard," said Head Coach Jay Young. "But to win this type of game, it comes down to details, and we didn't execute a sideline out-of-bounds and we didn't box out on a free throw. Plays like that are the difference. So we'll continue to work hard to correct those types of mistakes and put ourselves in a position to turn these close games into wins."
 
Cook's 16 points came on 6-of-11 shooting from the field and a 4-of-6 day at the free throw line. Allan Jeanne-Rose joined him in double figures with 12 points and Jalen Leach was just shy with nine. Caleb Fields netted all seven of his points in the second half.
 
Makai Willis, who got the start in place of an injured Jake Wojcik and played a season-high 24 minutes with Chris Maidoh also sidelined, scored six points and pulled down a team-leading six boards. The bench chipped in seven points with Zach Crisler canning a three while TJ Long and James Johns Jr. added two points apiece.
 
The Stags started the game on a 6-0 run with a Makai Willis bucket and four points from Cook, holding the Broncs off the board for the first 4:35 of the contest. Rider answered with a 12-5 spurt to take its first lead of the day. In total, the closely contested period featured five lead changes as Fairfield's initial 6-0 stretch marked the largest lead by either team. The Broncs' led by as many as four points, 19-15, with the action eventually settling in at 28-27 in favor of the hosts at the half.
 
The second half was a total back-and-forth affair as the lead flipped 10 more times, with neither side ever leading by more than five. The stalemate landed at 52-52 with four minutes to play before Cook grabbed a rebound and dunked it through to put the Stags back in front. Rider accounted for the next three points to briefly reclaim a lead, before Jeanne-Rose drove for two and Cook added a free throw to run the margin to 57-55 with 1:28 to play.

That score held into the final minute, and a pair of empty trips each way put the ball in Rider's hands with the shot clock off. Dwight Murray Jr. cut the lead to one with a free throw but missed the send. However, Ajiri Ogemuno-Johnson tapped the carom into the back court, where Powell collected it and drove to baseline. His contested pull-up swished through with 7.3 seconds left, putting Rider on top 58-57. Fields' three-pointer at the horn was off, and the Broncs escaped with the one-point win.
 
Powell led Rider with 18 points, while Mervin James posted a double-double comprised of 10 points and 10 rebounds.
 
The Stags are back in action at Mahoney Arena on Sunday afternoon to host Mount St. Mary's at 2 p.m. The Mount is 8-17 overall and 4-10 in the MAAC following a 72-65 loss to visiting Siena this evening in Emmitsburg.