THE OPENING TIP
Fairfield University Men's Basketball returns to Leo D. Mahoney Arena to host  Manhattan in a Sunday matinee. Opening tip-off is set for 2 p.m. with the Hall of Fame duo of Bob Heussler and Joe DeSantis '79 calling the action for the Stags Sports Network on ESPN+.

TICKETS
Tickets for Sunday's game are on sale now at FairfieldStags.com/TIX. Current Fairfield students can claim their free ticket with the Super Stags App.

GAMEDAY PROMOTIONS

• Sunday Funday: Enjoy Family Friendly Sundays with the Stags, including a face painter, post-game shoot around and food specials at Mahoney Arena
• StagMates Game: Invitation and ticket specials will be sent to alumni directly

LAST TIME OUT
A transition three-pointer from Braden Sparks staked Fairfield to a one-point lead early in the second half of Friday evening's MAAC outing at Saint Peter's. But the host Peacocks netted the game's next 14 points and held off a late Fairfield rally, eventually pulling away to take a 65-52 decision at Run Baby Run Arena inside the Yanitelli Center.
 
Sparks was one of three Stags in double figures for the game, finishing with 11 points. Jamie Bergens also had 11 points, while Kyle Jenkins scored a team-leading 12 points. Prophet Johnson fell just short of his sixth double-double of the season, as the junior tallied nine points and pulled in a team-leading 10 rebounds. Johnson was also the Stags' leadeer with three assists and three steals.
 
Rounding out the Fairfield scoring, Louis Bleechmore scored four points, Peyton Smith had three and Isaac Munkadi chipped in two points to go along with two blocked shots.
 
Aromni Zeigler had a game-best 14 points to lead the Saint Peter's offense. The reigning MAAC Champion Peacocks also got 13 points apiece from Marcus Randolph and Bryce Eaton. Stephon Roberts matched Prophet Johnson with 10 rebounds, pacing the hosts to a 44-28 advantage on the glass.

COACH CASEY ON THE SAINT PETER'S GAME
"We were plagued by a lot of the same things tonight. We left points at the rim, we needed to rebound the basketball, and Saint Peter's took advantage of some defensive miscues. We're fighting, we're playing hard, we just need to level up the execution to finish off some of these tough games, especially on the road."
 
THE MANHATTAN UNIVERSITY JASPERS
Manhattan defeated Merrimack, 79-75, on Friday at Draddy Gymnasium to improve to 12-10 overall and 7-6 in the MAAC. The Jaspers have played 12 games decided by one or two possessions and/or in overtime.

Will Sydnor leads the Jaspers and ranks eighth in the MAAC with 15.4 points per game. All five of Manhattan's typical starters are averaging double figures.

As a unit, the Jaspers rank second in the MAAC in scoring with 76.1 points per game. The Manhattan defense is 11th in the conference, conceding 75.9 points per outing.

EARLIER THIS SEASON
A 7-0 run to open overtime was the deciding stretch for Fairfield in a MAAC basketball classic on Jan. 23 at Manhattan. Six Stags scored in double figures on the day as Fairfield picked up the 87-84 road victory.
 
The trio of Kyle Jenkins, Prophet Johnson and Braden Sparks shared the team high for Fairfield with 15 points apiece.

Deon Perry added 13 points with 10 each coming from Jamie Bergens and Louis Bleechmore. Johnson also hauled in 11 rebounds to register his fourth double-double of the season.
 
Johnson and Birima Seck each pulled down four rebounds from the offensive glass, sparking Fairfield to 22 second chance points. Overall, the Stags were clipped on the glass by a 43-40 count but made up for the disparity by forcing 14 Manhattan turnovers compared to just seven Fairfield giveaways.
 
The Jaspers' standout freshman Will Sydnor led all scorers with 21 points, with Wesley Robinson contributing 20 for the home team.

ALL-TIME SERIES
Fairfield's three straight victories have moved the all-time series to 60-57 in favor of the Jaspers dating back to 1954. The Stags' sweep last season was the first over Manhattan since 2019-20. Fairfield is vying for its first four-game winning streak against the Jaspers since putting together six in a row against Manhattan from 2009-11.

UP NEXT
A one-game weekend awaits the Stags as Fairfield makes the trip to Rider on Friday, Feb. 21.

Action returns to Mahoney Arena on the following Friday for a 7 p.m. visit from Mount St. Mary's.