FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Tony Williams splashed the go-ahead three-pointer with 7.4 seconds to play to propel Fairfield University Men's Basketball to a 62-61 win over visiting Niagara on Thursday evening at Leo D. Mahoney Arena. Williams was one of four Stags in double figures in the home triumph.
With the win, Fairfield completes the season sweep of the Purple Eagles and improves to 12-9 overall with a 4-6 conference mark. Fairfield is 8-2 at Mahoney Arena after this evening's victory.
Niagara slides to 5-14 on the season and 2-7 in league play.
"Well first of all, a huge shot by [Tony]. That's a big-time play," said Head Coach
Chris Casey. "Then we did a pretty good job down the end of defending. Those are always tough plays with seven seconds on the clock and you're up one. They're just going to drive the ball and you've got to be able to guard without fouling and then still defensive rebound. We did a really good job of that."
Williams' three-pointer was the sixth and final lead change of the day. Niagara had gained on 61-59 advantage on a Josiah Sabino layup with 1:35 to play and forced a turnover to regain possession with less than 60 seconds remaining. However, Williams stepped up defensively to draw a charge, returning possession to the Stags with 36 seconds remaining. An offensive rebound kept the ball with Fairfield with the shot clock off, as Casey called a timeout to draw up one final look.
Braden Sparks drove to the basket and kicked out to Williams on the wing, and the freshman calmly buried his third triple of the contest to put the Stags back in front with 7.4 seconds to go.
"That's the shot I really work on every day. It's nothing new for me. Why wouldn't it go in?", Williams said. "I shoot it with confidence, and Coach Casey has the confidence in me to shoot the ball."
After a timeout, Trenton Walters got the call for Niagara and looked to go coast-to-coast, but his shot was off and
Halon Rawlins came down with the rebound as time expired on the 62-61 victory.
The win marked the Stags' first sweep of Niagara since the 2021-22 season and was Fairfield's first win when trailing in the final minute since last season's thrilling 59-56 win over Marist on a 70-foot buzzer beater from
Deon Perry on Feb. 6, 2025.
Brandon Benjamin was Fairfield's leading scorer on the day, netting 18 points on 8-for-12 shooting from the floor. The rookie forward also pulled down 11 rebounds to polish off his MAAC-leading ninth double-double of the campaign.
Declan Wucherpfennig also had a double-double – his fifth of the season – comprised of 13 points and a game-leading 13 rebounds.
Tonight's effort marked the third time that both Stags had a double-double in the same game.
The fourth Stag in double figures was
Braden Sparks with 10 points to go along with a team-best five assists. The MAAC's leading scorer also anchored the defensive effort with three steals.
In addition to the game-sealing defensive rebound,
Halon Rawlins added five points, three assists and a key blocked shot.
Eric Mejia had three points and five rebounds off the bench, and
Deuce Turner chipped in two.
Niagara was led by 13 points from Justin Page. Josiah Sabino had 11 points and seven rebounds for the Purple Eagles, and Reggie Prudhomme finished with seven points and seven assists.
"I thought we left some points out there at times," Casey added. "Some of that is credit to them. I thought they played well. But we found a way to win, and that's what's important in games like this. These conference games in this league – I've been in it a long time, they come down right to the last play very frequently. To our credit, we found a way to win the game. I feel like that's going to catapult us forward."
The Stags return to action at Mahoney Arena this Saturday, Jan. 24 for a 7 p.m. visit from Canisius. The Golden Griffs come to campus with a record of 8-12 overall and 3-6 in the MAAC after a three-point loss this evening at Sacred Heart.
Tickets for Saturday's game are on sale at
FairfieldStags.com/TIX.
