THE OPENING TIP
Fairfield University Men's Basketball makes the short trip up I-91 to visit in-state MAAC rival Quinnipiac on Friday, Jan. 31. Opening tip-off from M&T Bank Arena in Hamden is set for 7 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT
Visiting Merrimack got off to a fast start and kept Fairfield at bay for the rest of the way last Saturday as the Warriors left Leo D. Mahoney Arena with a 75-54 decision. Peyton Smith was the top scorer for the Stags with 13 points and also hauled in a team-leading seven rebounds.
 
In addition to Smith's 13 points, Louis Bleechmore had eight points sparked by a pair of three-pointers, and the graduate student forward also collected six rebounds. Jamie Bergens notched seven points and five rebounds, and Kyle Jenkins also scored seven. Braden Sparks added five points and four assists and Michael Rogan pitched in five points and five rebounds.
 
Merrimack was led by star point guard Adam "Budd" Clark with 20 points and a career-high 12 assists.
 
Clark carried the Warriors to an early lead, netting 14 points during the opening stretch that saw Merrimack build a 27-10 edge. The Stags responded with a 9-2 run capped by a Perry three-pointer, but that trey was Fairfield's last basket for nearly three minutes as Merrimack rebuilt a 35-19 advantage.

The Warriors continued to put points on the board, with a Savage dunk capping the half with the Stags facing a 47-23 deficit. The momentum carried into the second half as the lead grew as large as 29. Fairfield made a final push with a 13-3 run to help close the gap but the margin proved insurmountable as the Warriors finished off a 75-54 final.
 
COACH CASEY ON THE MERRIMACK GAME
"We fell behind early and didn't respond with the shots and stops that we needed to recover. Some of that is a credit to Merrimack, but some of it is things that are within our control, and we will address those things in practice this week."

THE QUINNIPIAC UNIVERSITY BOBCATS
Quinnipiac has reeled off five straight wins to improve to 12-8 overall and 8-1 in the MAAC. The Bobcats are tied atop the MAAC standings with Merrimack, who QU defeated in Hamden two weeks ago, and Marist, who handed the Bobcats their loss conference loss on Jan. 5 in Poughkeepsie.

Despite graduating MAAC Player of the Year Matt Balanc, the Bobcats return much of the core that comprised last year's MAAC Regular Season Champions. Amarri Monroe averages 15.7 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.7 steals per game, while Paul Otieno has posted 12.6 points and a MAAC-best 8.8 boards per contest. Seventh-year point guard Savion Lewis recently returned from injury and has dished out 5.3 helpers per game in 14 contests this season.

ALL-TIME SERIES
The Stags and Bobcats have split the season series in each of the last two campaigns. The road team won each of the two meetings last season, while the host defended its home court in both matchups in 2022-23.

Quinnipiac leads all-time series, 14-9. Fourteen of the 23 encounters have been decided by 1-2 possessions (or in overtime) with an overall average margin of 6.4 points.

STAYING CLOSE TO HOME
Fairfield will play five of its last 11 regular season games at Mahoney Arena, and seven of the remaining 11 within the state of Connecticut. Visits to Rider (approx. 115 miles) and Siena (approx. 140 miles) are the only remaining regular season games that will be played more than 100 miles away from campus.

SEE 'U' AT MAHONEY ARENA
Fairfield Men's Basketball and Leo D. Mahoney Arena have been selected to host a "MAAC Wildcard" game live on ESPNU on Thursday, Feb. 6. The nationally-televised game against visiting Marist is set for a 7 p.m. tip-off.
 
Fairfield will be making its second national television appearance of the season. The Nov. 9 contest at Georgetown aired nationally on FS2, and the Stags also made back-to-back regional TV appearances on SNY in games at Monmouth and Columbia in late December.
 
The Stags participated in three MAAC Wildcard games in 2023-24 as a part of six total appearances on the ESPN family of linear networks during that campaign.

Next Thursday's game will be the second time that Mahoney Arena has played host to an ESPNU telecast. The Stags welcomed Canisius last March, earning a 74-62 Senior Night win before a national television audience.

UP NEXT
The Stags make another trip with a Sunday, Feb. 2 visit to Iona. Opening tip from Hynes Athletic Center is set for 1 p.m.