When junior point guard Jonathan Han knocked down a three-pointer with 2:09 left in the game, the Stags bench exploded with cheers, led by their Head Coach Ed Cooley. Fairfield had pulled ahead of Manhattan 72-61 and all but ended the game, while Han had scored his 16th point of the second half.
The energy on the bench had been there all game, as the Stags battled their way to a seventh straight victory, matching the streak they put together last year, and the longest since 1985-86.
Han finished with a game-high 21 points, 18 in the second half, as Fairfield (14-14, 11-6 MAAC) defeated Manhattan (11-17, 5-12) 83-71 at the Arena at Harbor Yard. The win clinches a finish of at least fifth place in the MAAC, as the Stags hold the tiebreaker over sixth place Marist.
Four players, including Han, finished in double figures. Sophomore Anthony Johnson had 15 points, along with nine rebounds and two monstrous dunks down the stretch that ignited the crowd. Junior Herbie Allen scored 15 points with six assists and Mike Evanovich had 11 points.
Freshman Chris Smith led all scorers for the Jaspers with 21 points, but only scored five in the second half.
Fairfield outscored Manhattan 54-39 in the second half, shooting 63 percent from the floor to overcome a 32-29 deficit the Stags faced heading into the half.
“We were a little more crisp on offense [in the second half],” said Cooley. “I thought our ball handling in the second half was extremely effective, having Jon and Herbie in situations where they would have success.”
“We had two point guards on the floor today and that is a big key,” he added.
Allen and Han combined for 36 points and 13 assists, while only turning the ball over four times. Han played all 40 minutes of the game, while Allen sat for only two minutes.
Han was 1-for-6 from the floor in the first half, but turned it around after a halftime talk with Cooley.
“I talked to him and gave him a big boost of smiling and told him this is time and let’s get to it,” said Cooley. “And he responded like a champion, I’m very proud of Jon. He has proved it night in and night out that he may not just be the best point guard in the league, but the best player.”
Allen agreed with his coach, saying, “When Jon plays good, most of the time we win.”
Han said that “confidence” that his coach has instilled in him helped him with his turn-around after the half, saying that he knew he would be able to respond to Cooley’s request to step up his game.
“I have been practicing really well, getting my teammates involved,” said Han. “Keeping my head up, not getting frustrated with turnovers and mistakes on the court, what coach told me at the half was definitely a burst of energy into my body and I was able to facilitate that to my teammates on the court.”
The score changed six times in the first half; with the Stags starting the game strong, taking a 19-13 lead with 10:27 left. But the Jaspers stormed back to take a 28-24 lead with 2:38 remaining in the half. Fairfield tied the game with 26 seconds left, but a Devon Austin three-pointer with four seconds left sent Manhattan into the break with a three point lead.
The Stags trailed 49-47 with 10:15 left in the game, when Han hit a jumper to tie the game. From there Fairfield went on a 12-1 run to pull away and take a nine point lead with 7:42 remaining in the game.
Manhattan never got within six for the remainder of the game and Fairfield led by as much as 15 when senior Geoff Middleton knocked down one of two free throws with 41 seconds left.
Middleton and fellow seniors Mamadou Diakhate and Joe Bajda both entered the game in the final minutes for a final sendoff in front of the home crowd. Bajda was fouled with 30 seconds left in the game and he knocked down two free throws to score the first two points of his career.
Fifth-year senior Marty O’Sullivan also played his final home game and scored seven points with seven rebounds in 24 minutes of action. Diakhate did not score in 14 minutes of play, but is still rebounding from a concussion suffered earlier this season.
“Today was emotional for me as a coach, the reason I got into coaching was to see these kids graduate,” said Cooley. “To have Mamadou, Joe, Geoff and Marty out on the floor, smiling in their last home game is really what all of this is about.”
Fairfield now heads into what will be its most important game of the season, at Rider. With a win, Fairfield could finish as high as first in the MAAC.
The Stags are riding high on their seven game win streak and want to keep it going.
“Winning is fun, I love winning. It’s a seven game win streak and I love every minute of it,” said Allen. “It is a really good feeling and I hope we continue it. We are ballin’ right now.”
Mirror Sports Blog: Cooley, Han Deserve Recognition – www.mirrorsports.blogspot.com
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