FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Fairfield University Men's Basketball took the court at Leo D. Mahoney Arena for a sneak preview of the 2026-27 Stags as the squad hosted Fordham in an exhibition contest.
Peyton Smith netted a team-leading 13 points and
Halon Rawlins scored 12, but the visiting Rams used 47 second-half points to pull away for a 79-62 decision before a crowd of 2,353 fans on Alumni & Family Weekend.
Smith saw his first live-game action since 2025 after missing the entirety of his junior campaign due to injury. He scored 13 points fueled by a 7-for-7 day at the free throw line and also hauled in a team-best seven rebounds in his 21 minutes of action. Rawlins got off to a hot start with back-to-back three-pointers en route to a 5-for-5 day from the field to amass his dozen points.
Two Stags making their first appearance in a Fairfield uniform finished with nine points apiece.
Qadir Martin had nine points and eight rebounds, and
Cole Edelen led all Fairfield reserves with nine sparked by three three-pointers.
Eric Mejia added six points with a team-best six assists,
Jaden Brown scored five,
Tony Williams netted four,
Brayden Jones had three, and
Oesoemana Sacko split a pair of free throws. The Stags four true freshmen to take the court on Saturday (Edelen, Brown, Jones, Sacko) accounted for 18 of Fairfield's 62 points.
As a unit, the Stags shot 20-for-56 from the field (35.7%), 6-for-24 from three-point range (25%) and 6-for-23 (58.3%) from the free throw line.
Fordham built its lead on the boards and at the free throw line. The Rams held a 51-29 advantage on the glass, led by 15 rips for Jack Whitbourn and 11 by Rikus Schulte. Fordham also found its way to the free throw line 38 times, converting 30 charity tosses on the day. On the perimeter, Lateef Patrick Jr. led all scorers with 20 points and Amir Lindsey netted 18.
Fairfield Men's Basketball tips off the 2026-27 regular season on Nov. 5 at Leo D. Mahoney Arena with a visit from Vermont in the opening game of the America East-Metro Challenge.
Season tickets, mini-plans, and single-game tickets are on sale now at
FairfieldStags.com/TIX.
