FAIRFIELD, Conn. – A hectic final sequence saw Fairfield University Men's Basketball almost pull off an improbable comeback against Manhattan on Sunday afternoon at Leo D. Mahoney Arena, but a missed free throw with 0.3 seconds on the clock made up the difference as the Stags fell, 73-72. TJ Long reached the 20-point mark for the third straight game with a team-best 23 points.
 
With the loss, the Stags fall to 12-15 overall and 8-9 in the MAAC. Manhattan improves to 10-15 on the season with an 8-8 conference mark.
 
"We couldn't keep any of [Manhattan's] guards in front of us. We played man, we tried a few different zones, but they just drove it on us. Ant Nelson is very talented, he can go get a good look any time he wants," said Head Coach Jay Young. "I thought this was the first game where our lack of depth exposed us – especially with a couple guys in foul trouble in the first half. We scored enough to win but our defense was just out of sorts today."
 
The game's final sequence started with Long connecting on the last of his four three-pointers to tie the game at 66-66 with 2:41 remaining. The Jaspers' Nelson answered with a layup, then made two free throws to push the lead back to four at 70-66 as the clock crept below one minute to play. Jalen Leach cut the deficit in half with a jumper off an Allan Jeanne-Rose offensive board. Fairfield then got the miss needed on the front-end of a 1-and-1, but a foul on the rebound put Manhattan back on the stripe, where Samir Stewart knocked down a pair.
 
A free throw each way kept the margin at four points, 73-69, as the Stags regained possession with under 10 seconds to go. A loose ball gave Fairfield an in-bounds play with 2.7 seconds on the clock, and Leach was fouled shooting a three-pointer. The junior knocked down the first two, then intentionally missed the third. The ball rattled to Supreme Cook for his 17th rebound of the afternoon. Cook was fouled on the putback to go to the free throw line with just 0.3 seconds remaining. Cook sank the first but – after Manhattan called a full timeout – could not convert the second as time expired on the 73-72 final.
 
"I told Supreme in the locker room not to worry about the free throw; next time he'll make it," said Young. "Of course there will be a lot of attention put on the last seconds, but there were plays throughout the game that were controllable, and we did a poor job with those today."
 
Cook posted his eighth double-double of the season with 17 points and a game-high 17 rebounds. Jeanne-Rose nearly had a double-double as well with 10 points and nine boards. The Stags held a 36-25 advantage on the glass, including 14 offensive rips that led to 16 second-chance points.
 
Long's 23 points came on 7-for-12 shooting from the floor, 4-for-8 from three-point range and 5-for-6 from the free throw line. Long is the first Stag to net 20 points in three straight games since all-time leading scorer Tyler Nelson had 23 points in the last game of the 2017-18 regular season, then went for 28 and 27 points, respectively, in the first two games of the Stags' run to the MAAC Championship Game.
 
Leach and Caleb Fields each added nine points, with Fields and Jeanne-Rose sharing the team high of four assists apiece. James Johns Jr. had two points on an offensive rebound and putback, and Makai Willis capped the scoring with a pair of free throws.
 
Ant Nelson led Manhattan with 24 points and five assists, including 16 points in the second half. Marques Watson added 12 for the visitors, and Josh Roberts neared a double-double with eight points and 11 rebounds.
 
Up next for the Stags is the MAAC's Western New York swing with trips to Niagara on Friday, Feb. 24 and Canisius on Sunday, Feb. 26. The regular season then concludes at Mahoney Arena on Thursday, March 2 with a Senior Night visit from Quinnipiac.