FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Two days after earning the first win of the season on Saturday at NJIT, Fairfield University Men's Basketball is back to work in the Garden State for a Monday, Nov. 10 matchup at Seton Hall. Opening tip-off at the Pirates' on-campus home at Walsh Gymnasium is slated for 7 p.m.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Fairfield rode a dominant performance on the glass and four scorers in double figures to a 74-53 win on Saturday afternoon at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. Declan Wucherpfennig and Braden Sparks paced the scoring with 14 points apiece.
 
Fairfield held a 54-35 advantage on the boards, led by Brandon Benjamin and Isaac Munkadi with nine rebounds apiece. Wucherpfennig hauled in eight to go along with his 14 points – he and Munkadi each collected four from the offensive glass as Fairfield totaled 18 second chance points.
 
Wucherpfennig's 14 points marked a new career best. Sparks added 14 to his 25-point outburst against the Nittany Lions.
 
Joining them in double figures, Tony Williams had the first 13 points of his collegiate career fueled by a 3-for-4 day from beyond the arc. Benjamin just missed his second straight double-double with 12 points to go along with his nine rebounds, and Munkadi neared his own double-double with nine points and nine rebounds.
 
COACH CASEY ON NJIT
"To win on the road in college basketball, you need to have toughness, you need to rebound, and you need to defend. I thought we did all of those things well today."
 
THE BUS CAME BY AND I GOT ON
Fairfield is opening with three consecutive true road games for the second straight season. 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.
 
CAROM COLLECTORS
Fairfield's 54 rebounds at NJIT were the squad's most against a Division I opponent since also corralling 54 against American on Nov. 10, 2006. The 19-rebound margin is Fairfield's largest since outworking Manhattan on the glass, 37-18, in a win on Jan. 10, 2020.
 
THE SETON HALL UNIVERSITY PIRATES
Seton Hall is 2-0 on the young season with a 77-50 win over Saint Peter's at the Prudential Center on Monday, Nov. 3 and a 68-61 victory at Walsh Gymnasium over Wagner this past Friday. The Pirates were 7-25 overall and 2-18 in the Big East last season.
 
Elijah Fisher and Tajuan Simpkins have led SHU in scoring with 14.5 and 12.5 points per game, respectively.
 
MAAC TIES
Seton Hall's MAAC connections include Head Coach Shaheen Holloway, who most notably led Saint Peter's to the MAAC Championship and an historic run to the Elite Eight in 2022.
 
This year's Seton Hall roster also features Adam "Budd" Clark, an All-MAAC First Team standout at Merrimack last season.
 
US AND THEM
Monday will mark the 18th all-time meeting between Fairfield and Seton Hall, dating back to 1956. The Pirates own an 11-6 lead in the all-time series, including a 5-1 advantage at home. The most recent meeting in the series was Fairfield's first and only win in South Orange – a 65-63 victory on Dec. 22, 1980. Per the New York Times, Ken Daniels and Hank Foster scored key baskets in the final minute of the two-point win.
 
In addition to Walsh Gymnasium and Alumni Hall, the Stags and Pirates also met once at the Miami Beach Classic and twice in New York City at Madison Square Garden.
 
NOT THAT WALSH, NOT THAT SHU
While Monday night's game will take place in New Jersey, some coincidences could make the Stags feel closer to home. Fairfield's on-campus practice facility – Rafferty Gymnasium – is housed inside the Walsh Athletic Center. In addition, Fairfield is accustomed to seeing an "SHU" on the opponent sideline in the form of crosstown Sacred Heart University.
 
ONE OF ONE
Of the 22 double-doubles recorded by true freshmen thus far in 2025-26 (through Nov. 8), 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 on Nov. 3.
 
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.
 
Tickets for all three games of the Mahoney Classic are on sale now at FairfieldStags.com/TIX.