STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Braden Sparks' fifth three-pointer of the game staked Fairfield University Men's Basketball to a 66-60 lead with 3:45 remaining on Monday evening at Penn State. But the host Nittany Lions closed the game on a 16-2 run to elude the Stags' upset bid and gain the advantage in a 76-68 final. Sparks led all scorers with a career-best 25 points.
 
"You always want to win the game, so of course we are disappointed in that respect," said Head Coach Chris Casey. "But I'm proud of our fight and our effort. I think we did a lot of things well and identified a lot of things that we can improved upon. Going into a Big Ten arena and going toe-to-toe with Penn State is a good experience that will help us in the long run as we continue to progress through the non-conference and get into MAAC play."
 
In addition to his career-high 25 points, the five three-pointers by Sparks also marked a new career standard for the senior tri-captain of the Stags. Brandon Benjamin joined him in double figures with 18 points and 10 rebounds, including four from the offensive glass, in his collegiate debut. Fellow first-year Stag Declan Wucherpfennig pitched in nine points and seven rebounds.
 
Cam Estevez added seven points, Deuce Turner had five, and Eric Mejia netted four points. Apart from Sparks, five of six Fairfield scorers were playing their first regular season game at Fairfield. Ryan Zan, Halon Rawlins, Tony Williams, and Nasir Rodriguez also all took the court in a Fairfield uniform for the first time.
 
Rawlins was the Stags' top facilitator with three assists, while Estevez and Sparks dished out two dimes apiece. In total, Fairfield assisted on 10 of 27 made field goals.
 
Led by Benjamin's 10 rebounds, the Stags were nearly even on the boards with Penn State as the Nittany Lions claimed a 39-38 rebounding edge. The hosts were buoyed on the glass by 11 rips from            
Tibor Mirtic. Both squads scored nine second-chance points.
 
The turnover battle was also a dead heat at 7-7 with PSU gaining the slim 9-7 advantage in points off turnovers.
 
The late Penn State run featured the 12th tie and 13th lead change of the evening as the Stags and Nittany Lions traded buckets throughout the contest. The hosts were led by 19 points from Melih Tunca and 15 by highly touted freshman Kayden Mingo, whose three-point play staked Penn State to the 71-68 lead it would not relinquish with 87 seconds remaining.
 
The Stags started the game with the scoring flurry, racing out to a 15-2 lead punctuated by back-to-back triples from Sparks. Penn State responded in kind with its own 15-2 stretch knotting the game at 17-17 midway through the first half. From that point forward, neither team led by more than eight points, with the majority of the contest played as a one- or two-possession game.
 
Fairfield Men's Basketball continues its season-opening, three-game road trip on Saturday, Nov. 8 at NJIT. The Highlanders will begin their 2025-26 campaign tomorrow night at Fordham.
 
The Stags also visit Seton Hall next Monday, Nov. 10 before opening the home slate with the Mahoney Classic presented by NIVEA MEN. Fairfield will host Stonehill on Friday, Nov. 14 and Loyola Maryland on Sunday, Nov. 16 in the first-ever MTE to be held at Leo D. Mahoney Arena.

Season tickets, mini plans, and single-game tickets are on sale now at FairfieldStags.com/TIX.