SATURDAYS ARE FOR THE STAGS
Fairfield University Men's Basketball eyes a weekend sweep when Canisius visits Leo D. Mahoney Arena on Saturday, Jan. 24. Opening tip-off is set for 7 p.m. with the Hall of Fame duo of Bob Heussler and Joe DeSantis '79 calling the action on ESPN+.
LAST TIME OUT
Tony Williams splashed the go-ahead three-pointer with 7.4 seconds to play to propel Fairfield to a 62-61 win over visiting Niagara on Thursday at Mahoney Arena. Williams was one of four Stags in double figures in the home triumph.
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 comprised of 13 points and a game-leading 13 rebounds.
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, and Reggie Prudhomme posted seven points and seven assists.
COACH CASEY ON NIAGARA
"Well first of all, a huge shot by [Tony]. That's a big-time play. 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."
BUTTA BEATS THE BUZZER
The game-winning three-pointer for Tony "Butta" Williams sealed Fairfield's first win after trailing in the final minute of regulation since last season's headline-making 59-56 win over Marist on a 70-foot buzzer beater from
Deon Perry on Feb. 6, 2025.
DOUBLE DOUBLE-DOUBLES
Thursday's win marked the third time this season that freshman forwards
Brandon Benjamin and
Declan Wucherpfennig both recorded a double-double in the same outing:
Nov. 30 vs. New Hampshire (W, 72-68)
Benjamin: 16 pts., 10 rebs. | Wucherpfennig: 14 pts., 14 rebs.
Jan. 9 vs. Rider (W, 68-62)
Benjamin: 10 pts., 13 rebs. | Wucherpfennig: 17 pts., 11 rebs.
Jan. 22 vs. Niagara (W, 62-61)
Benjamin: 18 pts., 11 rebs. | Wucherpfennig: 13 pts., 13 rebs.
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.
EVERY POSSESSION MATTERS
Fairfield is 9-5 in one possession games under Head Coach
Chris Casey and has won its last five contests decided by three points or less.
The Stags are 21-13 in all games under Casey that were decided by one or two possessions (six points or fewer).
REBOUNDING ROOKIES
Brandon Benjamin had 11 rebounds in Thursday's win, increasing his season total to 201. He is only the third true freshman Stag to grab 200+ rebounds in their rookie campaign.
TOTAL REBOUNDS BY A TRUE FRESHMAN
THE CANISIUS UNIVERSITY GOLDEN GRIFFINS
Canisius lost a one-possession game at Sacred Heart on Friday, falling to 8-12 overall and 3-6 in the MAAC. The Griffs' three conference wins came in succession against the Stags, Sacred Heart, and Manhattan, but they have dropped four straight since that run.
Kahlil Singleton, who poured in 37 points fueled by a 9-for-12 day from beyond the arc in the Jan. 2 meeting, is the Griffs' leading scorer with 13.9 points per game. Bryan Ndjonga adds 12.6 points and 5.9 rebounds per outing, with Mike Evbagharu pitching in 8.6 points and a team-high 6.3 boards per contest.
EARLIER THIS SEASON
Fairfield was on the short side on 85-81 contest on Jan. 2.
Declan Wucherpfennig netted a team-best 20 points and
Brandon Benjamin posted his sixth double-double of the season to lead four Stags in double figures in the MAAC road outing.
The 20-point day for Wucherpfennig matched his career high as the rookie forward shot 9-for-14 from the floor, knocking down of his attempts from three-point range. Benjamin had 19 points and corralled 13 rebounds, including seven from the offensive glass, to pace the Stags to a 42-35 advantage on the boards.
Braden Sparks was fueled by two four-point plays and 7-for-7 day from the free throw line to finish with 13 points.
Cam Estevez was the fourth Stag in double figures with 10 points in a reserve role.
Also contributing off the bench was
Eric Mejia, who filled out his statline with seven points, six assists, and four rebounds.
Tony Williams had five points,
Halon Rawlins netted four to go along with his seven boards, and
Deuce Turner scored three points to cap the Fairfield scoring.
US AND THEM
Fairfield enters the 100th all-time meeting with the Griffs holding a 56-43 lead in the series. the Stags are looking to stall Canisius's first sweep of the home-and-home since 2018-19.
SERIES FINALES
After Saturday's game, Fairfield will have completed the season series with five MAAC opponents — Merrimack (one game), Rider (one game), Manhattan, Niagara, and Canisius — before beginning this year's ledger against Iona (one game), Quinnipiac, Sacred Heart, or Mount St. Mary's (one game).
In a scheduling anomaly, the Stags' one and only regular season game with defending MAAC Champion Mount St. Mary's is set for March 1 — the final day of the regular season.
The Stags are 2-0 this season when playing an opponent for the second time.
EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE
Benjamin's 10-for-11 shooting performance at Siena marked the first time that a Stag shot .900 or better from the floor (min. 10 made FGs) since 2005 when DeWitt Maxwell shot 12-for-13 in a win over Iona.
The single-game record for most field goals made without a miss belongs to Hall of Famer Mark Young, who went 11-for-11 in a win over Southern Connecticut in 1979.
LET THE SPARKS FLY
Braden Sparks is the MAAC's leading scorer at 17.1 points per game. The senior ranks third in the MAAC in three-point percentage (.399), fourth in three-pointers per game (2.90), fifth in free throw percentage (.838) and ninth in overall field goal percentage (.405).
ALL ABOUT THE BENJAMIN
Brandon Benjamin is one of 14 players in the nation to average a double-double, posting 14.1 points and a MAAC-best 10.1 rebounds per outing. Among those 14, Benjamin joins UNC's Caleb Wilson and Washington's Hannes Steinbach as the only true freshmen on the ledger. He ranks 16th in the nation in rebounds per game and sixth nationally with 4.20 offensive boards per outing.
A four-time MAAC Rookie of the Week, Benjamin also ranks second in the MAAC in blocks (1.40/game) and field goal percentage (.594). He slots ninth overall in the conference and second among MAAC freshmen in scoring (14.1 ppg) and leads the league with nine double-doubles this season.
CHAIRMEN OF THE BOARDS
Led by Benjamin's conference-best 10.1 rebounds per game, as well as 7.8 per contest from
Declan Wucherpfennig, the Stags are currently leading the MAAC in total rebounding (38.90/game), offensive rebounding (13.90/game), and rebounding margin (+4.6).
The Stags' offensive rebounding average of 13.90 caroms per game is also good for 21st in the nation.
YOUTH MOVEMENT
The Stags have started four true freshmen (Benjamin, Rawlins, Williams, Wucherpfennig) in eight games this season. To date, no other Division I team has reported a starting lineup featuring four true freshmen this season.
SATURDAYS ARE FOR THE STAGS
Fairfield concludes the month of January with a trip to Iona on Friday, Jan. 30 before ringing in February with a visit from Quinnipiac on Sunday, Feb. 1.
