NEW YORK – Fairfield University Men's Basketball took a nine-point lead into the half at Columbia on Saturday afternoon in New York City, but Lions' standout guard Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa scored all of his game-high 27 points after to the break as the hosts rallied for an 85-72 decision.
 
The Stags conclude non-conference play and wrap up 2024 with a 5-8 record, which includes a 1-1 tally in MAAC contests. Columbia improves to 11-1, highlighted by an 8-0 record at Levien Gymnasium.
 
"We played well against a good team for 30 minutes," said Head Coach Chris Casey. "We will continue to work on putting together the 40 minutes of defensive stops and playmaking that are necessary to win games, especially on the road."
 
The Stags were paced by four scorers in double figures. Deon Perry, Louis Bleechmore and Jamie Bergens each racked up 12 points for Fairfield, with Prophet Johnson adding 10 points to go along with his team-best seven rebounds.
 
Perry's 12 points came courtesy of a 4-for-5 shooting day from three-point range. Bleechmore – who entered the day as the MAAC's most efficient three-point shooter (with over 25 attempts) – was 3-for-6 from long range. As a team, the Stags shot 13-for-29 (44.8%) from distance as a part of a 28-for-64 (43.8%) clip overall.
 
The Stags went 10 players deep for the contest, with all 10 contributing to the scoring. Braden Sparks pitched in eight points, Peyton Smith had seven, Kyle Jenkins tallied five, and the trio of Noah Best, Makuei Riek and Isaac Munkadi scored two apiece. Bergens was Fairfield's top facilitator with a career-best seven assists, and Perry dished out five dimes as the Stags assisted on 21 of their 28 field goals.
 
Rubio De La Rosa's 27 points came on 8-for-15 shooting, including five three-pointers and a 6-for-6 day at the stripe. As a team, Columbia was 16-for-17 on free throw attempts with Fairfield converted half of its six charity tosses.
 
In total, all five Columbia starters finished in double figures including 12 points, 17 rebounds and seven assists for Zine Eddine Bedri.
 
"This closes out a very competitive non-conference schedule for us," noted Casey. "We look forward to getting back into conference play starting with a solid Merrimack team next week."
 
Fairfield Men's Basketball rings in 2025 with its first trip to Merrimack since 1958, challenging the MAAC newcomers on Friday, Jan. 3 at 3 p.m. in North Andover, Mass. The Stags are back on George Bisacca Court at Leo D. Mahoney Arena on the following Friday, Jan. 10 to host Iona at 7 p.m. Tickets are on sale now at fairfieldstags.com/tix.