ATLANTIC CITY – Fairfield University Men's Basketball overcame an 11-0 start to Friday's MAAC Championship Quarterfinal against Saint Peter's, quickly erasing the early deficit and outscoring the Peacocks by 19 points after halftime to claim a 74-55 victory at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.
Brandon Benjamin led the way for Fairfield, matching two career highs with 26 points and 15 rebounds.
With their second postseason win, the seventh-seeded Stags improved to 21-12 on the season and move into Sunday's MAAC Championship Semifinals, where they await either third-seeded Siena or sixth-seeded Mount St. Mary's. That contest will tip off at 8:30 p.m. from Boardwalk Hall.
Saint Peter's – the MAAC's second-seeded club – dropped to 17-12 on the campaign. The Peacocks were the lone team to sweep both ends of the regular season home-and-home from the Stags. Including the two tournament victories, Fairfield is now 9-1 this season when playing a team for the second (or third) time.
"That was just all grit and determination. I'm so proud of our guys and their effort, and intensity, and passion that we showed. We got something from everybody who checked in, whether it was a minute or 35 minutes," said Head Coach
Chris Casey. "These guys are truly becoming a team at the right time. I told them in the locker room that I loved coaching them because I love being a part of that."
Benjamin's 26 points came on 10-for-16 shooting, including knocking down his lone three-point attempt, along with a 5-for-6 day at the free throw line. His 15 rebounds were highlighted by six from the offensive glass. After tonight's performance, Benjamin passes legendary Stag Joe DeSantis '79 for second on Fairfield's rookie scoring list with 444 points to date. He is also one rebound shy of the MAAC rookie rebounding record of 322 established by La Salle great Lionel Simmons in the 1986-87 campaign.
Tony Williams also had a career day scoring the basketball, matching a personal-best 16 points to go along with three assists and two steals.
Declan Wucherpfennig added a double-double with 13 points and 15 rebounds, including eight offensive rips. Tonight's game was the fifth time that Benjamin and Wucherpfennig each had a double-double in the same game. The duo led Fairfield to a 45-36 rebounding advantage, including 19 offensive boards.
Braden Sparks had nine points, draining his 95th triple to try Ferron Flavors Jr. for third on the Stags' single-season list. Sparks also nabbed seven boards and fueled the defense with three steals.
Rounding out the offense,
Eric Mejia scored seven points capped by a late five-point stretch that squashed Saint Peter's final run of the evening.
Halon Rawlins added two points and
Deuce Turner scored one.
Saint Peter's started the game with an 11-0 run, keeping Fairfield off the board for the first 6:40 of action. The Stags' response was led by Benjamin who scored the Stags' first five points, followed by a Wucherpfennig putback to promptly cut the deficit to 11-7. The All-MAAC Second Teamer then accounted for Fairfield's next nine points, capped by only his second three-pointer of the season to bring the Stags all the way back to 16-16. The teams would trade runs once more in the period, as Fairfield went on a 12-4 run to open up a 30-22 lead. But the Peacocks struck last with the final eight points of the period to send the action into the intermission tied up once again at 30-30.
The Stags reclaimed their lead and then some, rattling off the first 10 points out of the locker room, but another Saint Peter's push cut the margin to 42-40 in favor of Fairfield as the clock ticked under 14 minutes to play. A Wucherpfennig three-point play squashed the run, followed by a Benjamin score and three consecutive buckets by Williams. Benjamin added a three-point play to push the lead back into double figures at 56-45 and, after an SPU tally, a Williams jumper and Wucherpfennig trey extended the margin to 61-47 with 5:44 to go. A late five-point surge by Mejia and four late free throws put the game on ice, with Fairfield advancing o Sunday with a 74-55 victory.
Saint Peter's was led by All-MAAC First Teamer Brent Bland's 11 points and seven rebounds.
Fairfield will learn its opponent in the semifinal round when Siena and Mount St. Mary's go head-to-head on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. The Stags are back in action against the winner on Sunday, also set for an 8:30 p.m. start.
