THE OPENING TIP
Fairfield University Men's Basketball opens the home portion of the 2024-25 schedule on Friday, Nov. 15 when John Jay College visits Leo D. Mahoney Arena at 7 p.m. The Hall of Fame duo of Bob Heussler and Joe DeSantis '79 will be on the call for the Stags Sports Network on ESPN+.

LAST TIME OUT
Tough defense, solid rebounding and timely scoring fueled Fairfield to a 62-56 victory at New Hampshire on Tuesday evening in Durham. Prophet Johnson and Jamie Bergens paced the scoring in the Stags' first win of the season with 12 points apiece.

The last of Bergens' 12 points were the most emphatic as the graduate student splashed a three-pointer with 9.7 seconds left to extend the Fairfield lead to 62-56 and put the game away. Johnson scored all of his dozen before halftime as the Stags opened up the 38-30 cushion that they would not relinquish en route to the win.
 
The third Stag in double figures was Peyton Smith, who tallied 11 points and also hauled in eight rebounds working in the post. Isaac Munkadi had the best game of his young career with six points and eight boards. The duo led Fairfield to a 41-36 advantage on the glass.
 
Rounding out the scoring, Louis Bleechmore had nine points, Braden Sparks scored four, Michael Rogan and Birima Seck each accounted for three, and Deon Perry netted two. Sparks also distributed a game-best four assists.
 
The Wildcats were led by 17 points for Anthony McComb III. Caleb Middleton scored 10 for the hosts and Trey Woodyard chupped in nine points and seven rebounds.

COACH CASEY ON THE NEW HAMPSHIRE GAME
"We really defended a good and well-coached team. We had some trouble executing in spots, but this is almost a completely new team, so you have to go through some of that if you want to improve. And at the end of the day, any win on the road in college basketball is a good win."

THE JOHN JAY COLLEGE OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE BLOODHOUNDS
John Jay, which will officially be playing an exhibition on Friday night, is 2-1 on the season. The Bloodhounds defated Washington College and Sarah Lawrence last weekend and dropped an 80-76 decision to New Paltz in their home opener on Wednesday. Seton Hall transfer Syl Granda is one of three Bloodhounds averaging double figures through three contests with a team-best 14.7 points per game. Keyshawn Miller adds 10.3 points and a team-leading 6.0 rebounds per outing.

John Jay was 7-18 overall last season and 3-11 in the CUNYAC.

ALL-TIME SERIES
John Jay is the only first-time opponent on Fairfield's 2024-25 schedule. The Stags went 3-1 against first-time foes last season, defeating Mount Saint Mary, Little Rock (CBI) and Chicago State (CBI) while falling in their first-ever meeting with Queens University.

DEFENDING IN DURHAM
The 62-56 win on Tuesday at New Hampshire marked fourth time during Chris Casey's tenure that the Stags held an opponent below 60 points. Fairfield is 3-1 in those games.

Tuesday's effort was the second-best defensive showing since the start of 2023-24, topped only by last December's 67-51 win over Wagner at Mahoney Arena.

THE BIG MAN'S BIG SPLASH
Isaac Munkadi needed just 11 minutes to turn in his best performance as a Stag on Tuesday at New Hampshire. Fairfield's lone true freshman scored six points with eight rebounds, one block and one steal in the victory over the Wildcats.

On the year, Munkadi is averaging 2.7 points and 4.7 rebounds per game, taking the court of 9.0 minutes per contest in his first three games as a Stag.
 
UP NEXT
The Stags' two-game homestand wraps up on Tuesday, Nov. 19 with a 7 p.m. visit from Drexel.