FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Fairfield University Men's Basketball made it a 2-0 weekend at the Mahoney Classic presented by NIVEA MEN as the Stags knocked off Loyola Maryland, 85-82, on Sunday afternoon. Deuce Turner scored a game-best 30 points to lead four Stags netted double figures in the victory.
 
Coupled with Friday's overtime win over Stonehill, the Stags went unbeaten on the weekend to improve to 3-2 overall. Loyola, which defeated the Skyhawks yesterday at the Mahoney Classic, falls to 2-3.
 
"Your season is made in close games," said Head Coach Chris Casey. "You're going to have a handful of games that are going to be decided by one or two possessions or in overtime, and you need to be good in those moments. We did that twice this weekend, and I'm proud of us for that."
 
Turner followed up Friday's 22-point effort with a 30-point game in which he shot 12-for-17 from the field and 4-for-8 from three-point range. The 12 made field goals marked a career high for Turner, whose career-best scoring mark is a 34-point outburst against Saint Mary's in the 2023-24 season as a member of the University of San Diego.
 
Eric Mejia got the start and responded with 14 points and five rebounds. Braden Sparks filled out his statline with 14 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and three steals. Brandon Benjamin was the fourth Stag in double figures with 13 points and a game-leading eight rebounds.
 
Declan Wucherpfennig added eight points as 79 of Fairfield's 85 points came from its starters. The six bench points came courtesy of Isaac Munkadi with four points and Michael Rogan with two.
 
The Stags shot nearly 50% from the floor at 34-for-69 (49.3%).
 
Led by Benjamin's eight rebounds, Fairfield held a 35-31 advantage on the glass. The Stags turned 14 offensive rips into 20 second chance points and conceded just five offensive boards to the Greyhounds.
 
Fairfield protected the ball to the tune of just seven turnovers in the fast-paced outing. Loyola committed 13 miscues, including Sparks' three steals and two swipes by Mejia.
 
Jacob Theodosiou led the Greyhounds with 27 points, five rebounds, six assists, and three steals.
 
The Stags opened the game on a 5-0 run, but Loyola quickly responded to take a 6-5 lead that proved to be the only lead of the game for the visitors. Benjamin and Mejia each accounted for four points on the ensuing 8-0 run that swung the pendulum back to the Stags at 13-6.
 
A quick five-point spurt for Turner briefly pushed the lead into double figures at 22-12 before Loyola ran off the game's next 10 to knot the score at 22-22. Fairfield rebuilt a seven-point lead that was promptly cut to one point, before the Stags responded with the last push of the half – a 9-2 run capped by four Munkadi points to head into the intermission with a 40-32 advantage.
 
Loyola was the aggressor coming out of the break, once again erasing the Fairfield lead to a 42-42 stalemate. A 45-45 deadlock was the last time that the Greyhounds would pull even, and the Stags got seven points from Sparks and six from Turner over the next stretch of action to reconstruct a 6-52 advantage with 13:11 to go. The Greyhounds would whittle that margin down to a single point once again, but Fairfield continued to put points on the board and keep Loyola at bay while rebuilding a 71-63 cushion.
 
The final Loyola push saw the visitors cut the deficit to 79-78 with 2:07 left, which Turner swung to 80-78 with his final point of the day. After a defensive stop, Sparks hit a step back jumper to double the lead. After a Loyola layup cut it back to 82-80, Sparks hit two free throws followed by a defensive stop punctuated with a Wucherpfennig rebound. The rookie split his pair of free throws to widen the gap to 85-80, and the two teams watched a moot Loyola basket fall with 0.9 seconds remaining to round out the final score at 85-82.
 
Fairfield Men's Basketball is back in action and back on the road on Saturday, Nov. 22 for a 1 p.m. clash at Le Moyne. The Stags then return to Mahoney Arena for two games around the Thanksgiving holiday. Fairfield hosts Columbia on Wednesday, Nov. 26 at 7 p.m. and welcomes New Hampshire on Sunday, Nov. 30 at 2 p.m.
 
Tickets for both upcoming games and all remaining home contests are on sale now at FairfieldStags.com.TIX.