THE OPENING TIP
Fairfield University Men's Basketball plays just once this weekend, making the trip to Lawrenceville, N.J. to complete the home-and-home with Rider. Opening tip-off is set for 7 p.m. with all of the action broadcast live on ESPN+.

LAST TIME OUT
Prophet Johnson filled out the statsheet with 23 points, 10 rebounds and six assists to lead Fairfield last Sunday at Mahoney Arena, but the Stags were on the short side of an 80-67 decision to visiting Manhattan. Johnson's double-double was his team-leading sixth of the season.

Johnson's 23 points were two off his career high and marked his highest scoring output against a Division I opponent this season. His six assists matched his career best established earlier this season against Drexel. Three of Johnson's 10 rebounds came from the offensive glass, running his season total to 75. He is one of just 20 Stags to grab 75 or more offensive rebounds in a season since the stat became an official one in the 1986-87 campaign
 
In total, nine Stags contributed to Fairfield's 67 points. Braden Sparks knocked down two three-pointers on his way to 12 points, Jamie Bergens chipped in nine to go along with his five assists, and the duo of Louis Bleechmore and Peyton Smith notched six points apiece.
 
In addition to Johnson's 10 rebounds, Smith and Munkadi pulled down five boards apiece. The Stags were clipped on the glass, 30-28.
 
Masiah Gilyard led five Manhattan players scoring in double figures. Jaden Winston had 14 for the Jaspers, Will Sydnor tallied 13, Shaquil Bender netted 12 and Devin Dinkins had 10 off the bench.

COACH CASEY ON THE MANHATTAN GAME
"I thought we executed offensively, for the most part. But we needed to make more open looks. When good looks aren't falling, you need to make up those points in other ways with stops and defensive rebounds, and we didn't do that well enough today."
 
THE RIDER UNIVERSITY BRONCS
A 66-65 loss at Saint Peter's on Sunday dropped Rider to 10-16 overall and 6-9 in the MAAC. Eleven of Rider's 15 MAAC games have been decided by one or two possessions, including the first meeting with the Stags on Dec. 4.

The Broncs own the MAAC's 10th-best offense at 65.8 points per game. RIder ranks eighth in the conference in scoring defense with 71.7 points allowed per outing.

Individually, T.J. Weeks Jr. leads three Broncs averaging double figures with 13.9 points per game. Tariq Ingraham adds 10.2 points per game and slots eighth in the MAAC with 6.6 rebounds per contest.

EARLIER THIS SEASON
Peyton Smith tipped in the game-winner with 1.6 seconds left to send Fairfield to a 78-75 win over visiting Rider in the MAAC opener on Dec. 4, 2024 at Mahoney Arena. Deon Perry led three Stags in double figures with 19 points in the victory.

Smith's game-winner came on a tip-in with the score tied at 75-75. Prophet Johnson drove to the lane and saw his reverse layup rim out, but Smith elevated and sent it home to secure the win. The tip-in was Fairfield's 18th offensive rebound of the day and the last two of the Stags' 12 second-chance points.

Louis Bleechmore also had a key bucket down the stretch, draining his fourth three-pointer of the day to stake Fairfield to a 75-72 lead. Bleechmore was 4-for-5 from beyond the arc on his way to 16 points.
 
Perry provided the offense in the first half, netting 16 of his 19 during the opening 20 minutes. Last year's Patriot League scoring champion at Loyola Maryland finished his highest scoring game as a Stag to date at 7-for-14 from the field with four three-pointers.
 
A total of nine Stags contributed to the scoring, Johnson adding eight points along with five assists. Kyle Jenkins chipped in six points, Jamie Bergens had five points with five helpers, Braden Sparks scored four, Birima Seck netted three and Isaac Munkadi had two on a rim-rattling dunk.

ALL-TIME SERIES
Fairfield's three straight wins over the Broncs have increased the Stags' advantage to 40-36 in the all-time series.

Since Rider joined the MAAC in the 1997-98 season, the Broncs hold a 29-28 advantage, including three postseason meetings. A four-game winning streak in the series would match Fairfield's longest over Rider in the MAAC era.

The teams were previously league foes in the Tri-State Conference in the 1960s.

STAYING CLOSE TO HOME
The trip to Rider is the longest road trip remaining on the Fairfield schedule. After Friday's trek, the Stags will play two of their last four regular season games at Mahoney Arena, and three of the remaining four in the Town of Fairfield.

FOR THE FIRST TIME, FOR THE LAST TIME
As a result of the MAAC's unbalanced schedule, Fairfield will not go head-to-head with Siena until March 6 in the penultimate game of the regular season.

Siena and Saint Peter's will not travel to Mahoney Arena this season, while the Stags did not make the trip to Niagara or Canisius.

UP NEXT
The Stags are back in action at Mahoney Arena next Friday, Feb. 28, for a 7 p.m. visit from Mount St. Mary's.