MIDWEEK MAAC
The first return game of the season for Fairfield University Men's Basketball brings Manhattan to Leo D. Mahoney Arena for a midweek MAAC clash on Wednesday, Jan. 14. Opening tipoff is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN+ with the Hall of Fame duo of Bob Heussler and Joe DeSantis '79 calling the action.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Visiting Rider claimed its only lead of the game, 59-58, with 4:11 to go in Friday's MAAC contest at Mahoney Arena. But Fairfield scored the next eight points and held the Broncs without a field goal for the remainder of the game to close out a 68-62 victory. Braden Sparks dropped a team-best 23 points for the Stags, and the rookie duo of Brandon Benjamin and Declan Wucherpfennig each recorded a double-double in the win.
 
Sparks knocked down five three-pointers on his way to 23 points. He also hauled in five rebounds and dished out a team-leading three assists.
 
Wucherpfennig scored 14 of his 17 points in the second half and completed his double-double with 11 rebounds. Benjamin posted his MAAC-leading seventh double-double with 10 points and a game-high 13 boards.
 
Led by the duo of Benjamin and Wucherpfennig, Fairfield earned a 45-37 rebounding advantage. The Stags pulled down 17 offensive rebounds that led to a 23-3 advantage in second-chance points.
 
COACH CASEY ON RIDER
"We fought incredibly hard for 40 minutes tonight, and that's the first thing you need to win in this conference. Credit to Rider for making a run, but I'm proud of our guys for staying composed and executing down the stretch to bring home the win."
 
THE MANHATTAN UNIVERSITY JASPERS
Manhattan comes to Mahoney Arena with a record of 8-10 overall and 4-3 in the conference. Most recently, the Jaspers split a home weekend with a 70-64 loss to Canisius followed by a 79-70 win over Niagara.
 
Fairfield and Manhattan have had similar results against all of their common MAAC opponents to date. In addition to the split against the Western New York contingent, both sides have defeated Rider and lost at Merrimack.
 
Jaden Winston leads five Jaspers averaging in double figures with 15.6 points per game. His backcourt mate Devin Dinkins chips in 13.4 points per outing. Manhattan leads the MAAC in free throw attempts and free throws made per game, while ranking 10th in the nation with a conference-best .783 free throw percentage.
 
EARLIER THIS SEASON
Braden Sparks scored a game-high 22 points and Declan Wucherpfennig was a force in the post with 15 points and 19 rebounds, but Fairfield was on the short side of a 70-66 decision on Dec. 5 at Manhattan in the Stags' MAAC opener.
 
Halon Rawlins added seven points from the bench. Eric Mejia and Cam Estevez each chipped in six – with Estevez knocking down a pair of first-half triples. Deuce Turner scored five, Brandon Benjamin had four points, and Isaac Munkadi split a pair of free throws to finish with one.
 
Fueled by Wucherpfennig's 19 rebounds, the Stags gained a 45-35 advantage on the boards. Benjamin hauled in seven to aid in the effort, with Sparks and Munkadi corralling five apiece.
 
Jaden Winston paced the Jaspers with 18 points, six assists, and six steals as one of four Manhattan players to score in double figures.
 
US AND THEM
After this season's first meeting, Manhattan holds a 62-57 lead in an all-time series that dates back to 1954. The Jaspers are seeking their first sweep of the home-and-home series since 2022-23.
 
WEEKLY WINNERS
After leading Fairfield to victory over Rider, Braden Sparks and Declan Wucherpfennig earned weekly honors from the MAAC. Sparks was named the MAAC Player of the Week and Wucherpfennig was tabbed as the MAAC Rookie of the Week, both for the second time this season.
 
Sparks netted a team-leading 23 points; he made five three-pointers and pulled down five rebounds and dished out a team-high three assists. Wucherpfennig scored 17 points and hauled in 11 rebounds to cap his fourth double-double of the season.
 
DOUBLE DOUBLE-DOUBLES
The win over Rider marked the second time that Brandon Benjamin and Declan Wucherpfennig each had a double-double in the same game. The duo previously accomplished the feat in the Nov. 30 win over UNH. They are the first Fairfield teammates to record a double-double in the same game since Taj Benning (24 pts., 12 rebs.) and Supreme Cook (11 pts., 14 rebs.) led the Stags to a 2021 MAAC Semifinal win over Monmouth.
 
CHAIRMEN OF THE BOARDS
Brandon Benjamin and Declan Wucherpfennig rank first and second in MAAC with 10.1 and 8.2 boards per game, respectively. They are also first and third in offensive rebounds per game, with Benjamin corralling 4.38 (fifth in the nation) and Wucherpfennig pulling in 3.00.
 
Led by their rookie frontcourt duo, the Stags top the MAAC in total rebounds (40.29 per game), offensive rebounds (14.53 per game) and rebounding margin (+5.1).
 
BOARDS ARE JUST THE BEGINNING
Brandon Benjamin averages 14.2 points per game, ranking nine in the league, to go along with his MAAC-best 10.1 rebounds per outing.
 
The four-time MAAC Rookie of the Week also ranks second the conference in field goal percentage (.583) and blocked shots (1.50/game). He shares the league lead of seven double-doubles with the reigning MAAC Player of the Year, Quinnipiac standout Amarri Monroe.
 
Benjamin is one of 16 total players and one of only three true freshmen in the nation currently averaging a double-double.
 
LET THE SPARKS FLY
Braden Sparks is the MAAC's leading scorer at 18.2 points per game. The senior also leads the MAAC and ranks 25th nationally in three-pointers per game (3.24) and slots second in the conference and 26th in the nation in three-point field goal percentage (.433).
 
Sparks is also third in the MAAC in free throw percentage (.885) and seventh in field goal percentage (.426).
 
Sparks has scored 20 or more points in nine games this season, including four of six MAAC games and seven of his last 10 contests overall.
 
YOUTH MOVEMENT
The Stags have started four true freshmen (Benjamin, Rawlins, Williams, Wucherpfennig) in four games this season.
 
To date, no other Division I team has reported a starting lineup featuring four true freshmen this season.
 
FOR STARTERS
Fairfield has used seven different starting lineups this season. Braden Sparks and Declan Wucherpfennig have both started all 17 games to date, while Brandon Benjamin has been in the starting five for all 16 games in which he was available.
 
WORKING FOR THE WEEKEND
The Stags hit the road for the long weekend, traveling to Marist on Saturday, Jan. 17 and making a trip to Siena for a matinee on Monday, Jan. 19.
 
Action returns to Mahoney Arena next weekend when the Stags host Niagara on Thursday, Jan. 22 and Canisius on Saturday, Jan. 24.