Peter Caty/The Mirror
Maurice Barrow tallied yet another double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds as the Stags defeated the Canisius Golden Griffins 70-55 at Webster Bank Arena at Harbor Yard on Monday night.
With the win Fairfield improved to 17-4 on the season, 10-1 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, and in the process extended their winning streak to five games. Four of Fairfield’s starters finished in double figures, with Derek Needham ‘13 leading the way with 17 points, 5-6 from the free throw line.
The story of the night, however, was the Fairfield defense, holding Canisius to 33.9 percent shooting from the field, forever frustrating the Canisius offense with a devastating full court press.
The Stags’ athleticism on defense was ubiquitous throughout the game, hounding Canisius guards into 15 turnovers on the evening.
It all started with guard play, as point guard Jamel Fields ’14 frustrated Canisius guard Alshwan Hymes into poor shot selection all night, while also coming up with four steals.
“He was on his case like Sherlock Holmes all night,” said basketball enthusiast Robert Belfiore ’11. Fairfield was also dominant on the boards all night, outrebounding Canisius 42-33. The starting frontcourt of Ryan Olander, Yorel Hawkins, and Maurice Barrow combined for 24 rebounds, four blocks and 35 points.
Canisius could not recover from a slow start coupled with the suffocating defense of Fairfield, never regaining the lead 48 seconds into the first half.
By holding Canisius to their lowest scoring output of the year, Fairfield’s second ranked scoring defense in the nation is beginning to make a name for itself just as the calendar turns to February and conference play heats up.
Come see the number two ranked scoring defense in the country this Friday night at 9 p.m. when Fairfield seeks to extend its winning streak to six games when taking on MAAC rival Iona at Harbor Yard.
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