THE OPENING TIP
Fairfield University Men's Basketball kicks off March with one of the shortest trips in Division I basketball, heading across town to Sacred Heart on Sunday, March 2. Opening tip-off at the Pitt Center is set for 2 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT
Prophet Johnson scored 20 points to lead three players netting double figures as Fairfield knocked off Mount St. Mary's, 69-62, in a pivotal MAAC matchup on Friday at Mahoney Arena. Kyle Jenkins added 14 points and Jamie Bergens had 13 in the home triumph.
 
Johnson's 20 points were a part of a standout showing for the junior, was also tallied five rebounds, five assists and four steals. Jenkins' 14 points were highlighted by three straight three-pointers to nullify a hot-shooting streak for the Mount, and Bergens' 13 points were capped by a three-pointer in the final minute that extended Fairfield's lead to 67-62.
 
Louis Bleechmore and Braden Sparks each added eight points, with Deon Perry and Peyton Smith capping the scoring with three points apiece.
 
On the day, the Stags shot 26-for-63 (41.3%) from the floor, 12-for-31 (38.7%) from three-point range and 5-for-8 (62.5%) from the free throw line.
 
Fairfield was outrebounded, 39-28, but made up that margin committing only six turnovers while forcing 18 – and converting them into 21 points.

COACH CASEY ON THE MOUNT GAME
"We competed very hard tonight, especially on the defensive end. Mount is good offensively and made some tough shots, but we made some tough ones too. Throughout the game, we just had guys answer. They would go on a run and we would respond. These guys always work hard, and I think we're starting to see more and more payback from that."

"The energy level in this arena and the way our fans support us is fantastic and it helps us tremendously. We all appreciate it and it absolutely has a positive impact on what we do."
 
THE SACRED HEART UNIVERSITY PIONEERS
Sacred Heart hosted and defeated Marist on Friday evening to improve to 13-15 on the season and 9-8 in the MAAC. Including Friday, the Pioneers are 2-3 since their win at Mahoney Arena on Feb. 8.

Sacred Heart boasts the MAAC's top offense in terms of scoring (75.9 ppg), three-pointers per game (9.5), assists (16.2 apg), fast break points (12.14/game) and assist/turnover ratio (1.36).

Individually, Tanner Thomas leads the club and ranks seventh in the MAAC with 15.0 points per game. Mekhi Conner leads the MAAC and ranks ninth in the nation with 6.6 assists per outing.

EARLIER THIS SEASON
Fairfield erased a 14-point deficit to head into halftime tied with Sacred Heart on Feb. 8 at Mahoney Arena. But after six ties and four lead changes following the intermission, it was the visiting Pioneers who made the final surge to take a 77-71 decision. Prophet Johnson and Braden Sparks each scored 18 for the Stags before a sold-out crowd of 3,470 fans.

Johnson was 8-for-12 from the floor en route to his 18 points. The junior completed his fifth double-double of the season with 10 rebounds and chipped in defensively with two steals. Braden Sparks set a new career high with his 18 points, knocking down four three-pointers. Deon Perry was the third Stag in double figures with 12.

The Stags went just eight players deep in the contest, seven of whom chipped in to the scoring. Louis Bleechmore filled out his statline with eight points, five rebounds and two blocks. Jamie Bergens had six points, four boards and a team-high four assists. Peyton Smith contributed five points and seven rebounds, and Isaac Munkadi had two points, five caroms and a block.
 
Sacred Heart had four players in double figures, fueled by 20 apiece for Mekhi Conner and Nyle Ralph-Beyer with each rookie knocking down four three-pointers. Amiri Stewart had 17 points for the visiting Pioneers, and Tanner Thomas scored 14 points with 10 rebounds.

ALL-TIME SERIES
The Stags are 10-1  all-time against Sacred Heart dating back to 2007. The four most recent meetings marked the only times that either squad has ventured to the other's campus (or met within the Town of Fairfield), as six of the prior meetings were held at Webster Bank Arena in addition to a neutral site contest at Mohegan Sun Arena in 2010.

Fairfield and Sacred Heart were slated to meet at Alumni Hall during the 2020-21 campaign, but the game was canceled due to Covid-19 protocols within the SHU program.

STAG SPLITS
With Friday's win over The Mount, the Stags have split the MAAC series with four opponents (Iona, Marist, Manhattan, Mount). In the other completed MAAC home-and-home sets, Fairfield picked up a sweep over Rider and was swept by Merrimack.

In the stretch run of the regular season, Fairfield is looking to salvage splits with Sacred Heart and Quinnipiac, while the March 6 meeting with Siena is the one and only scheduled clash between the Stags and Saints.

MAKING SHOTS...
Fairfield's .583 team field-goal percentage in the 69-49 win over Rider was the Stags' best against a Division I opponent since shooting .619 in a win at Manhattan on March 6, 2020.

The Stags' .588 (10-for-17) performance from three-point range was the team's best with a minimum of 10 attempts since shooting .625 (10-for-16) at Manhattan on Jan. 5, 2017 - the game in which Curtis Cobb scored a program-record 46 points fueled by a 9-for-13 day from three-point range.

Fairfield last shot better than .588 from downtown with 17 or more attempts on Jan. 29, 2012 with a .667 (12-for-18) day in a home win over Marist.

...AND GETTING STOPS
With just 49 points allowed to the Broncs, Fairfield held a Division I opponent to fewer than 50 points for the first time since a 70-47 win at William & Mary on Dec. 12, 2021.

UP NEXT
The Stags head to Albany on Thursday, March 6 for the first and only regular season meeting with Siena.