HOME BEFORE THE HOLIDAY
Fairfield University Men's Basketball returns home to Leo D. Mahoney Arena to host Columbia on Wednesday, Nov. 26. The Stags and Lions tip-off at 7 p.m. with the Hall of Fame duo of Bob Heussler and Joe DeSantis '79 on the call on ESPN+.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Fairfield rode a 56-point first half outburst all the way to a 97-83 victory on Saturday, Nov. 22 at Le Moyne. Brandon Benjamin scored 18 points to lead four Stags in double figures in the road triumph.
 
The Stags shot 25-for-67 (52.2%) from the field, including seven three-pointers, and knocked down 20-of-23 (87%) free throws. Benjamin led the efficient performance at 7-for-11 from the field while converting all four of his free throws. Declan Wucherpfennig added 17 points on 7-for-10 shooting from the floor.
 
Deuce Turner also finished with 17 points from the Stags fueled by a 3-for-4 performance from three-point range. Braden Sparks was the fourth Stag in double figures with 10.
 
In total, 10 Stags contributed to the 97-point outburst.
 
The Stags nabbed a slight edge in the rebounding battle, 35-34, led by eight boards for Benjamin and seven hauled in by Sparks. Benjamin was also Fairfield's top facilitator with four assists from the post.
 
COACH CASEY ON LE MOYNE
"The most important thing we did today was get into a position to play from out in front. That allowed us to control the tempo and play the style of basketball that we wanted to play."
 
SOME GOOD POINTS
The Stags' 56-point half in the victory at Le Moyne on Saturday was their largest against Division I competition since hanging 58 points on Mount St. Mary's after halftime in a 96-92 comeback victory in Emmitsburg on March 9, 2024.
 
Fairfield last scored 56 points before halftime against a Division I foe in a 92-69 win at FDU on Dec. 21, 2023.
 
The 97 total points in the win over the Dolphins were Fairfield's best since a 110-55 victory over Medgar Evers on Nov. 16, 2021.
 
The Stags last hit 97 against a Division I foe in a 102-98 double overtime win over Quinnipiac on Feb. 17, 2018, and last did so in a 40-minute regulation contest in a 104-85 win over Niagara at Webster Bank Arena on Jan. 20, 2018.
 
NOVEMBER REIGN
Fairfield's 4-2 record marks its best six-game start since beginning the 2016-17 campaign with a 5-1 record.

A win over Columbia on Wednesday would secure the Stags' first 3-0 start to the home schedule since the 2015-16 season.
 
#2 FOR #20
After recording 18 points, eight rebounds, and four assists in the win at Le Moyne, Brandon Benjamin was named the MAAC Rookie of the Week for the second time in his first month of action as a Stag.
 
Six games into his collegiate career, Benjamin ranks second on the Stags with 12.7 points per game. He also entered the week ranked second in the MAAC with a .660 field goal percentage and second in rebounding, hauling in 8.8 boards per contest. Benjamin's field goal percentage is third in the nation among true freshmen, and he ranks eighth in rebounding among all first-year players nationally.
 
THE COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY LIONS
Columbia is off to a 5-1 start in its first season led by Head Coach Kevin Hovde. Most recently, the Lions drained a program-record 18 three-pointers en route to a 95-70 victory over Longwood. Columbia also holds wins over New Haven, UMass Lowell, Boston University and Lehigh. Columbia's lone setback was an 89-62 loss at then-#3 UConn.
 
Kenny Noland and Zine Eddine Bedri pace the Lions offensively with 17.0 and 12.8 points per game. Eddine Bedri has also hauled in a team-best 7.4 rebounds per contest.
 
US AND THEM
Despite less than 60 miles between Fairfield University and Columbia's Levien Gymnasium, the Stags and Lions have only met twice. The Stags won the inaugural meeting at Alumni Hall in 2015 with Columbia returning the favor last season in NYC.
 
FAIRFIELD VS. THE ANCIENT EIGHT
Fairfield is 37-19 all-time against the Ivy League, with nearly half of those matchups coming against in-state foe Yale. Fairfield challenged both Yale and Columbia last season, and the Lions are the only Ancient Eight team on this year's non-conference slate. The Stags' longest hiatus is against Cornell, with Fairfield and Big Red last meeting in 1975.
 

Brown	8-1	11/21/1997
Columbia	1-1	12/28/2024
Cornell	2-0	1/20/1975
Dartmouth	4-0	11/15/2016
Harvard	6-3	12/4/2004
Penn	2-1	11/11/2017
Princeton	0-1	1/5/1982
Yale	14-12	11/23/2024

 
SUNDAY MATINEE
Fairfield is back at Mahoney Arena on Sunday, Nov. 30 for a 2 p.m. visit from New Hampshire. Tickets are on sale now at FairfieldStags.com/TIX.