FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Fairfield University Men's Basketball heads to Newark, N.J. on Saturday, Nov. 8 for the first of two straight games in the Garden State and the first-ever meeting between the Stags and NJIT. Opening tip from the Bloom Wellness and Events Center is set for 2 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT
Braden Sparks' fifth three-pointer of the game staked Fairfield to a 66-60 lead with 3:45 remaining in Monday evening's season opener 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.
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.
COACH CASEY ON PENN STATE
"You always want to win the game, so of course we are disappointed in that respect. 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 a team like 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."
THE BUS CAME BY AND I GOT ON
Fairfield is starting its season with back-to-back true road games for the fifth consecutive campaign.
The current season also marks the fifth straight year in which the Stags will play their first three Division I opponents in true road contests.
SPARKS WAS ELECTRIC
Braden Sparks' 25 points on Monday at Penn State marked an NCAA career high for the senior tri-captain. His five made three-pointers were also a new career standard. Sparks' top scoring output last game was 20 points in a MAAC clash at Siena on March 6, and he knocked down four three-pointers in four different outings in 2024-25.
His overall collegiate career high in scoring came during the 2023-24 season at Indian Hills Community College when he poured in 27 points in the NJCAA Region XI Championship Game.
THE NEW JERSEY INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY HIGHLANDERS
NJIT opened its 2025-26 season with a 72-61 victory over Fordham at Rose Hill Gym on Tuesday evening. David Bolden led the Highlanders with 18 points seven rebounds, assists. Rocco Awad also reached double figures with 12 points courtesy of a 4-for-5 day from beyond the arc. Bolden and Awad were both making their collegiate debut against the Rams.
NJIT was selected eighth of nine teams in the America East Preseason Poll. The Highlanders were 6-25 overall and 3-13 in conference play last season.
US AND THEM
Saturday afternoon will mark the first-ever meeting between the Stags and Highlanders. NJIT has competed at the Division I level since 2006-07.
STAGS VS. AMERICA EAST
Fairfield is 22-13 against the current members of the America East, though the Stags have only played five of the nine in program history. The Stags defeated both New Hampshire in Durham and Vermont on a neutral court at Mohegan Sun Arena during the 2024-25 non-conference.
| OPPONENT |
RECORD |
LAST MEETING |
| Albany |
0-2 |
2014 |
| Binghamton |
0-0 |
-- |
| Bryant |
0-0 |
-- |
| Maine |
2-4 |
1994 |
| New Hampshire |
11-4 |
2024 |
| NJIT |
0-0 |
-- |
| UMass Lowell |
0-0 |
-- |
| UMBC |
0-1 |
2017 |
| Vermont |
9-2 |
2024 |
STAGS VS. FIRST TIME OPPONENTS
NJIT is the only first-time opponent on Fairfield's 2025-26 schedule. Among Division I foes, the Stags did not play any first-time opponents last season, while welcoming Queens (N.C.), Little Rock, and Chicago State to the ledger for the first time in the 2023-24 campaign, all on neutral courts. Fairfield was knocked off by Queens in Philadelphia early in the non-league slate while earning wins over Little Rock and Chicago State in the 2024 CBI en route to the semifinal round.
THE SIX SCORING STAGS
With his career-best 25 points,
Braden Sparks was the only returning Stag to score in Monday's game at Penn State. The other five Stags to put a tally on the board (Benjamin, Wucherpfennig, Estevez, Turner, and Mejia) were also making their respective debuts in a Fairfield uniform.
ONE OF ONE
Of the 11 true freshmen in the nation to have recorded a double-double thus far in 2025-26 (through Nov. 5),
Brandon Benjamin is the only one to accomplish the feat in a true road game with his 18 points and 10 rebounds against Penn State at the Bryce Jordan Center/
STAY (JUST A LITTLE BIT LONGER)
Nine members of Fairfield's 18-man roster in 2025-26 were also a part of the 2024-25 Stags. This year's Stags have welcomed back 34.9% of their scoring, 37.9% of their rebounding and 34.9% of the total minutes played from last season's squad.
Five current Stags were also members of the 2023-24 team that reached the MAAC Championship Game (Curtis, Davidson, Ganton, Rogan, Smith).
Michael Rogan is the lone four-year member of the Stags dating back to his redshirt season as a true freshman in 2022-23.
NEW KIDS IN TOWN
The other half of Fairfield's roster is comprised of nine newcomers. Five of the new Stags are true freshmen (Rodriguez, Williams, Rawlins, Benjamin, Wucherpfennig), three played elsewhere in the Division I ranks last season (Turner, Estevez, Zan), and
Eric Mejia comes to Fairfield after an All-America season on the JUCO circuit.
REVVED UP LIKE A DEUCE
Graduate student tri-captain
Deuce Turner was selected to the Preseason All-MAAC Third Team. Turner scored 9.6 points per game in 2024-25 at UC Santa Barbara, where he logged nearly 20 minutes per game as the sixth man for the Gauchos. He spent the two prior seasons at the University of San Diego, earning 2023-24 West Coast Conference Sixth Man of the Year and All-WCC Second Team honors.
TEACH YOUR CHILDREN WELL
In a partnership with Team IMPACT, Fairfield Men's Basketball has officially signed Jahson ("Juju") to be a part of the Stags family. The signing was held in the Walsh Athletic Center following a team practice on Sunday, Oct. 5. Juju, his parents, and his sister Jaiana will join the Stags at games, practices, and other team events.
Team IMPACT, has developed a unique multiyear program that matches children facing serious illness and disability with college athletic teams.
I'M YOUR CAPTAIN
Head Coach
Chris Casey has selected seniors
Luke Davidson and
Braden Sparks and graduate student
Deuce Turner as team captains for the 2025-26 season.
CLOSER TO HOME
Fairfield is partnering with NIVEA MEN to present the Mahoney Classic – the first-ever "Multi-Team Event" (MTE) at Leo D. Mahoney Arena. The event will be held from Nov. 14-16, 2025 and will feature the first home games of the season for the Stags against regional foes Stonehill College and Loyola University Maryland.
The
Mahoney Classic presented by NIVEA MEN will mark the home debut for the 2025-26 Stags when they host Stonehill on Friday, Nov. 14 at 7 p.m. and Loyola Maryland on Sunday, Nov. 16 at 2 p.m.
The two visiting teams will go head-to-head at Mahoney Arena on Saturday, Nov. 15 at 2 p.m.
IT'S JUST A HOUSE PARTY
Fairfield's two games in the Mahoney Classic will be the first of 16 home contests on the 2024-25 slate. The Stags have not played 16 home games in the regular season since the 1993-94 campaign.
WHO'S NEXT?
The Stags' three-game, season-opening road trip concludes at Seton Hall's on-campus Walsh Gymnasium on Monday, Nov. 10 at 7 p.m.
Fairfield kicks off the home schedule with the inaugural Mahoney Classic presented by NIVEA MEN from Nov. 14-16, challenging Stonehill and Loyola Maryland at its home MTE.
