NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. – Fairfield University Men's Basketball was unable to overcome a hot shooting night for host Niagara, as the Purple Eagles claimed an 96-72 win on their home court in Friday evening MAAC action. Caleb Fields led the Stags' offense with 19 points.
 
The loss snaps an eight-game winning streak for the Stags, who slip to 9-7 overall and 3-2 in the MAAC. With its fourth consecutive victory, Niagara improves to 7-8 overall and 3-2 in conference play.
 
"First and foremost, Niagara is a very good team and they played extremely well. But we certainly needed to be better on both ends of the floor tonight," said Interim Head Coach Chris Casey. "We need to get back to playing our brand of basketball and bring the execution and energy back up to our standards with another talented and well-coached team in Canisius coming up on Sunday."
 
Fields' 19 points included three of the squad's eight three-pointers, as the Stags shot 8-for-22 (.364) from deep as a part of a 24-for-58 (.414) overall shooting mark. Louis Bleechmore added 17 points, and Peyton Smith notched 12 from the post on 5-of-6 shooting.
 
Supplementing the offense were James Johns Jr. with nine points, six from Jasper Floyd, five for Brycen Goodine, three by Jalen Leach and one from Birima Seck.
 
Floyd led the Stags on the glass with seven rebounds, with Smith and Leach each collecting four. Floyd also nabbed a pair of steals and distributed three assists. Leach had the team lead with four helpers.
 
Despite committing only eight turnovers, the Stags were on the short side of that battle as Niagara was guilty of only six miscues.
 
The Purple Eagles blistered the home nets at 34-for-55 shooting (61.8%) including a 10-for-15 (.667) clip from three-point range. Ahmad Henderson II led all scorers with 20 points for Niagara, and Luke Bumbalough shot 4-for-5 from distance en route to 14 points along with seven assists.
 
The back half of the MAAC's Western New York swing sends the Stags to Canisius on Sunday, Jan. 14 for a 1 p.m. start in Buffalo. The Griffs are 7-8 on the season and 2-3 in the MAAC following a 67-63 home win over Siena this evening.
 
Action returns to Leo D. Mahoney Arena for the first game of the spring 2024 semester on Friday, Jan. 19 as the Stags host Saint Peter's at 7 p.m. Tickets are on sale now at FairfieldStags.com/TIX.