FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Brandon Benjamin registered his fourth double-double of the season with 16 points and 12 rebounds, and Braden Sparks led all scorers 17 points as Fairfield University Men's Basketball knocked off visiting Monmouth, 73-65, on Sunday at Leo D. Mahoney Arena. Declan Wucherpfennig added 15 points and Tony Williams scored 10 in the home triumph.
 
"That's a good win at home against a good team," said Head Coach Chris Casey. "We made some plays and executed at key points in the game, along with some aggressive defense and rebounding that got us the stops that we needed."
 
With the win, Fairfield improved to 6-5 on the season, while Monmouth slipped to 5-6.
 
Benjamin's double-double was his second straight and his MAAC-leading fourth of the season. He shot 8-for-11 from the field, including a pair of rim-rattling dunks during a run that put the Stags in front for good in the second half. Sparks, who entered the day as the MAAC's leading scorer, knocked down four three-pointers on his way to 17.
 
Wucherpfennig filled out his statline with 15 points, six rebounds, and three assists. Williams had seven of his 10 to help fuel the offense in the first half, and then canned a key three-early In the second half to slow a Monmouth run. Rounding out the starting five was Halon Rawlins with six points, five rebounds, and three assists.
 
Eric Mejia led the Fairfield bench. He scored all seven of his points in the second half to go along with a team-leading four assists.
 
"Eric really stepped up and gave us something," noted Casey. "He had some huge shots, some big-time drives, and defensively, he was really good. He answered the bell."
 
Led by Benjamin's 12 boards, the Stags held a 40-31 advantage on the glass. The margin included 16 offensive rebounds that led to a 14-8 edge in second-chance points for Fairfield. Fairfield also won the turnover battle, 10-9, and were clipped by a 42-40 count in points in the paint.
 
The Stags first 17 points were scored by freshmen, led by seven tallies from Williams, before Sparks knocked down a three that tied the game at 20-20 with 9:05 remaining in the first half. The triple set Sparks off on a personal eight-point run, keeping pace with the Hawks out to a 25-25 deadlock. Monmouth responded with an 8-2 stretch to open up a 33-27 advantage before Wucherpfennig scored twice, with a Sparks free throw in between, to close that gap to 33-32. Monmouth scored once more in the closing seconds of the frame, sending Fairfield into the locker room facing a 35-32 deficit.
 
The Monmouth lead crept up to five points early in the second half at 44-39, before back-to-back Benjamin layups pulled the Stags within one. Wucherpfennig completed the comeback with a three-pointer from the top of the key, and Benjamin added another bucket to put Fairfield on top, 48-44.
 
The Hawks, however, answered with a 9-0 run over the next 2:30 to reclaim a 53-48 advantage. After a timeout, Sparks ended the Fairfield drought with a triple and Mejia hit step-back jumper to tie the contest at 53-53. After a Monmouth turnover, Isaac Munkadi corralled an offensive board and then finished in the lane to propel the Stags back in front, 55-53.

The momentum swing continued with a Mejia pull-up jumper and a Wucherpfennig putback – making it six second-chance points in a row for the Stags. With Fairfield now in front, 59-57, the run kicked into high gear with a Benjamin steal and a coast-to-coast dunk. After another Fairfield stop, Rawlins worked his way down low and finished, and Mejia hit a clutch triple to extend the edge to 66-57 with 4:21 to go.
 
After a timeout, Rawlins swatted a Monmouth jumper that was collected by Benjamin. The Stags' rookie got on the run and took flight once again, this time soaring over his defender for the jam to push the lead to 68-57.
 
Monmouth made a final push, cutting the deficit to 68-63, but Sparks had the last response with a dagger triple from the corner with 1:32 to play, and the Stags went on to ice the victory, 73-65.
 
Cornelius Robinson Jr. led Monmouth with 14 points. Jason Rivera-Torres added 13 with six boards and three assists for the visitors.
 
Fairfield continues non-conference action on Thursday, Dec. 18 with a trip to New Britain to visit Central Connecticut State.
 
Action returns to Mahoney Arena on the following Monday, Dec. 22, when the Stags host CCNY at 7 p.m. Tickets are on sale now at FairfieldStags.com/TIX.