2021-22: Finished his career ranked 28th all-time in scoring with 1,175 career points…MAAC All-Academic…The only Stag to start all 33 games…Led the team with 11.1 points per game and ranked second in rebounding (4.3 rpg) and assists (2.2 apg)…Played a team-best 33.2 minutes per game…Scored 13 points and pulled down seven rebounds in the season opener at Providence...Tallied 14 points fueled by a pair of three-pointers at Boston College...Knocked down three three-pointers on his way to 11 points against Medgar Evers...Led the offense with 15 points in the win at Sacred Heart on Nov. 20...Ran off his fifth straight double-figure scoring game with 14 in the overtime win over Stony Brook...Dished out six assists with no turnovers in addition to four points and seven boards against Loyola Maryland...Scored seven points and hauled in a season-best 10 rebounds in the win at Canisius...Netted 13 points and shared the team high with five rebounds in the win at Niagara...Filled out the stat sheet with 11 points, six rebounds and three assists in the win over Holy Cross...Shared a pair of team highs with 15 points and six rebounds in the win at William & Mary...Neared a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds against Wagner...Scored 13 points in back-to-back games against Siena and Iona...Netted double figures for the third straight game with 12 points at Quinnipiac...Scored 13 points, including the 1,000th of his career, against Monmouth...Poured in 16 points, starting the game 4-for-5 from three, in the win at Marist...Matched his career high with 24 points, fueled by a career-best six three-pointers, in the road win at Rider...Hit a buzzer beater to send the game into overtime as a part of a 17-point day in the win over Canisius on Feb. 14...Scored Fairfield’s last six points as a part of his 12 tallies in the Feb. 27 win at Manhattan...Dropped 15 points in the MAAC First Round win over Canisius and scored 19 in the quarterfinals against eventual MAAC Champion Saint Peter’s.
2020-21
Benning established himself as one of the conference’s top three-point shooters after netting 41 shots from behind the arc in 27 games (1.5 made per game). He shot 36 percent from three-point range overall after starting the season with a .452 three-point field goal percentage through the first 10 games (19 of 42). He netted 22 of 70 three point attempts the rest of the season (.314) but made at least one three pointer in 11 of the final 17 games. The guard showed his all-around game by averaging 12 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game. He netted 10 or more points in 18 of his 27 appearances including a personal-best 24 points in MAAC semifinal win over Monmouth University, one of four 20-point performances during the season. Benning finished off his second double double of the season with 12 rebounds against Monmouth, higher than his 10-point, 10-rebound effort at Marist. He was the only Stag to reach double figures in the scoring column through the first 11 games of the season, averaging 12.9 points per contest during the stretch.
2019-20
Benning continued his emergence as one of the top guards in the MAAC, having the versatility to rank among the conference leaders in scoring and rebounding. He secured the 25
th spot for scoring among MAAC student-athletes, netting 9.8 points every forty minutes. His 4.6 rebounds per game also equaled the number of caroms by teammate Chris Maidoh, who rated 19th in the conference statistics. Benning enjoyed a strong finish to the 2019-20 campaign, scoring in double figures during 10 of the final 16 games. He posted a season-best 19 points at Rider on January 31, his fourth game with 10 or more points over a run of five contests. Over the final 16 games of the season, Benning averaged 11.4 points per game and 2.5 assists per game. Benning was one of the team’s top free throw shooter by making 80 percent of his attempts, good enough for eighth in the MAAC overall statistics. His best game at the line came against Saint Peter’s when he netted all 10 of his charity tosses. He made six or more free throws seven times during the season, four of which were perfection (8 of 8 at Marist; 10 of 10 vs. Saint Peter’s; 6 of 6 vs. Texas A&M; 6 of 6 at Loyola Maryland). Benning garnered a team-high 31 starts and was one of three Stags to play in all 32 games, averaging a team-best 33.5 minutes per game (7
th in the MAAC).
2018-19
Tajj Benning became part of the starting rotation during the 2018-19 campaign and responded with his best season as a Stag. the guard posted a 4.7 scoring average through his 28 appearances with 19 starts. He averaged nearly two assists per game with 48 assists (1.7 per game) and ranked at the top of the team in free throw percentage (.759). His ball handling skills were especially noticeable with his positive assist-turnover ratio (48 assists, 36 turnovers). Benning posted three double-digit scoring games beginning with a career-high 12 points against LIU Brooklyn, a mark he would later tie against Monmouth at home. He also managed an 11-point effort against Oakland in a home game. He put together a solid all-around contest against Marist on March 1, establishing career best with seven assists (one turnover) and eight rebounds in addition to his five points. He also played 40 minutes in that outing with the Red Foxes.
2017-18
Benning appeared in 25 games as a reserve during his freshman campaign, making his debut in the season opener against Penn. He made his first of five three point field goals in that game, finishing his first collegiate game with three points. He scored in 12 of his appearances, highlighted by a season-high eight points in a personal-best 26 minutes played against Rider at Webster Bank Arena. His point total surpassed his previous high of seven points established at Rider a few weeks earlier. Benning rated as one of the team's top free throw shooters at 75 percent, netting 15 of his 20 attempts which included two 4-for-4 performances (at Rider and vs. Siena). He concluded the season with more assists (20) than turnovers (16) and also secured 1.4 rebounds per contest. His best performance around the glass came at Wright State when he posted five caroms in 25 minutes. For the season, Benning averaged 1.6 points, 1.4 rebounds and 0.8 assists per outing.
Before Fairfield
Taj Benning is a highly-decorated guard who looks to make an immediate impact as a freshman. As a sophomore at Bergen Catholic High School, Benning helped the basketball team capture the Bergen County championship, earning a spot on the All-Tournament team. He also received berths to the All-Big North Conference first team as well as the All-Bergen County second team. In his junior season, Benning also captured All-Tournament honors after leading the high school to a semifinal appearance. He ended the year with spots on the All-County and All-League first teams. As a senior, Benning garnered an honorable mention berth to the All-State team in addition to first team accolades for All-County and All-League. He was also honorable mention MSG Varsity Tristate.
