FAIRFIELD, Conn. – A late 6-0 run pulled Fairfield University Men's Basketball even with visiting Niagara on Friday evening at Leo D. Mahoney Arena, but the last two points of the game went to the Purple Eagles to escape with a 65-63 victory.
Jalen Leach and
Alexis Yetna paced the Stags' offense with 14 points apiece.
The loss snaps a three-game winning streak for the Stags, who slip to 15-10 overall and 9-5 in the MAAC. Niagara improves to 13-11 on the year and is also 9-5 in conference action.
"We've talked a lot as a team about the grind of this part of the MAAC season and how slim the difference is between winning and losing," said Interim Head Coach
Chris Casey. "Last Saturday at Saint Peter's, we were fortunate enough to make a few more plays than them, and tonight Niagara made a few more plays than us. That's what happens when two good teams get together, especially for the second time. The teams that can keep grinding and keep finding ways to win consistently will be the teams that are in a position to be successful in March. There's no secret to how it's done, we'll just keep grinding and keep fighting and turn our attention to a good Mount St. Mary's team on Sunday."
Yetna's 14 points and team-leading nine rebounds both marked his best thus far as a Stag. Leach scored nine of his 14 after halftime as the Stags erased a six-point deficit at the intermission.
Caleb Fields also contributed to the rally with all 13 of his points coming in the closing 20 minutes of action.
Jasper Floyd also netted double figures with 12 points to go along with seven rebounds, three assists and three steals. Floyd moves into fifth place on Fairfield's single-season steals list with 62 thefts this year, 12 shy of the program record of 74 steals established by Kyle Commodore in the 1998-99 campaign.
James Johns Jr. added eight points fueled by a 4-for-4 day at the free throw line, with
Birima Seck and
Peyton Smith each knocking down one foul shot to cap the scoring.
The Stags trailed by as many as 10 points in the opening half with the Purple Eagles hitting five three-pointers in the half to open up a 36-26 advantage. The visitors would not score in the last two minutes of the frame as Johns found Leach for a fastbreak layup and, after a Fairfield defensive stop,
Jasper Floyd connected on a long pass to Yetna at the buzzer to trim the margin to 36-30 heading into the break.
The run grew to 9-0 in total with Fields hitting a three-pointer on Fairfield's first possession of the second half and Johns adding a pair of free throws. A few minutes later, the Stags pulled even at 40-40 on a Leach trey. The deadlock held to 43-43 before Niagara crept in front and kept Fairfield at arm's length, leading by as many as seven points in the period with the deficit settling at 63-57 with 3:18 to play.
Fields crossed up his defender and drained a three-pointer on the next trip to cut the margin in half then corralled a rebound and went coast-to-coast to bring the count to 63-62. The Stags got one more stop and Fields was fouled, adding a free throw to bring the Stags all the way back at 63-63 with 1:59 left.
After Niagara split a pair of free throws to regain a 64-63 lead, neither team could finish a possession for the next 90 seconds as the 64-63 score held into the closing ticks. The Purple Eagles added another free throw with 3.9 seconds to play, giving Fairfield one last shot facing a 65-63 deficit. Fields raced down court and got off a clean but hurried three-pointer that drew iron as time expired.
Ahmad Henderson II led five Niagara scorers in double figures with 15 points. The Purple Eagles' seven-footer Harlan Obioha added a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
The Stags return to action at Mahoney Arena on Sunday, Feb. 18 for a 2 p.m. meeting with Mount St. Mary's. The Mount fell to 11-14 overall and 7-7 in the MAAC with a 61-57 loss tonight at Rider.
Tickets for Sunday's game are on sale now at
FairfieldStags.com/TIX.
