FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Fairfield University Men's Basketball cut a 13-point deficit as low as four on multiple occasions on Saturday against Canisius. But the Stags were unable to climb all the way back as the visitors left Leo D. Mahoney Arena with a 78-67 decision.
The loss is Fairfield's first home setback during conference play as the Stags slip to 3-4 in the MAAC as a part of a 7-11 overall tally. Canisius improves to 2-16 on the season and 2-5 in conference play.
"Credit to Canisius, they played well and made some tough shots," said Head Coach
Chris Casey. "Playing a smaller lineup helped in the second half, but we still didn't get the stops we needed to come all the way back. We will continue to work on our defensive discipline at the end of the shot clock and playing smart and tough for that full 30 seconds."
Just as in Thursday's win over Niagara, the Stags were led by four scorers in double figures.
Jamie Bergens set the pace with 17 points followed by 16 for
Prophet Johnson, who also grabbed a team-leading six rebounds.
Deon Perry had 12 points and
Louis Bleechmore netted 10.
Supplementing the Fairfield scoring,
Braden Sparks had eight points with two apiece from
Kyle Jenkins and
Isaac Munkadi. Jenkins also pulled in five rebounds with Bleechmore and Seck each nabbing four as the Stags grabbed a 32-28 advantage on the glass.
The Griffs' duo of Paul McMillan IV and Tana Kopa accounted for 52 of Canisius's 78 points. McMillan, who entered the day as the MAAC's second leading scorer, matched his career best with 31 points. Kopa, who is the MAAC's top three-point shooter, improved his stake to that claim with 21 fueled by a 5-for-10 outing from downtown.
Up next, the Stags head to Riverdale on Thursday, Jan. 23 for a 7 p.m. tip-off at Manhattan. The Jaspers are 8-8 overall and 3-4 in the MAAC following a 72-65 home win over Niagara this afternoon.
Action returns to Leo D. Mahoney Arena on Saturday, Jan. 25 when Fairfield completes its first home-and-home of the 2024-25 MAAC slate with a 7 p.m. visit from Merrimack.
