Aisha Faulkner/The Mirror
When former Coach Cooley was asked about his feelings coming back to Fairfield to play the Stags, he made his response clear:
“I’ll always love the kids I coached at Fairfield as well as the community, but I am going down there to get a win.”
Coach Cooley certainly kept his word as the Friars defeated Fairfield 80-72 in a roller coaster game played in front of 6,375 fans, a regular season record for the Men’s
Basketball program.
“It was an emotional day for me. We played an outstanding basketball team and I’m proud of both communities who came out to support,” said Cooley. “I’m so happy this day is over, our team won on a lot of different levels as we continue to grow as a program.”
This was a contest that featured six lead changes and the game was evenly tied five times. However, the guard play by the Friars was a key advantage as they combined for 67 of teams’ 80 total points, sinking most of their open shots.
Leading scorer Vincent Council proved to be a leader for the Friars with his 26 points and seven assists, providing the spark that led the team.
“Council definitely displayed leadership tonight as we had some advantages in length and physicality at the guard position. I thought we grew up as a team the past two days,” said Cooley.
Despite the fact that the Stags came back from double-digit deficits two times in the second half, there were some key factors that led to the loss.
Fairfield shot a collective 8-26 from the three point range and only got to the free throw line seven times, with most of those attempts occurring late in the game. While the Friars received great contributions off the bench, mainly the 17 points scored by sophomore guard Gerard Coleman, the Stags had zero bench points.
Coach Johnson credited Coach Cooley for the win and took personal responsibility for the outcome of the contest.
“All credit due to Coach Cooley. He outcoached me tonight and I feel like I let down a lot of people,” Johnson said. “We scored enough points to win, but it came down to heart and passion, and that’s all on me.”
Senior forward Rakim Sanders continued his display of dominance on the floor with his 25 points and nine rebounds, despite being hampered by foul trouble.
Sanders presence on the floor seems to be crucial in order for the Stags to be at their best.
“We didn’t play well enough to win. We’re going to move forward and improve upon what we didn’t do tonight,” said Sanders.
Coach Cooley, who has a close relationship on and off the court with Sanders, marveled at the performance put forth by the senior forward.
“He looks like a linebacker on skates out there. Certainly a physical presence and I’m proud of him as well as the whole team. And Coach Johnson is the right person to lead them going forward,” said Cooley.
Ryan Olander had a solid game posting 17 points and six rebounds, while determined sophomore Maurice Barrow contributed 15 points.
Although the Stags offense had a 21-10 advantage in assists, defensively the squad seemed to be outmatched against their Big East conference opponent. The Friars, marked as 7.5 underdogs, seemed extra motivated to win this game for their new coach.
“A big win for us in a big test. Of course we wanted to get the win for Coach,” said Council.
“I told my guys about being the underdog, no secrets there. They [Fairfield] deserved to be the favorites because of their experience, but that’s why we play the games,” responded Coach Cooley.
Looking forward, the Stags will have an opportunity to redeem themselves quickly as they go on the road to take on University of Minnesota (a Big Ten school) on Thursday.
And if Coach Johnson has anything to say it about, the Stags will arrive in Minnesota with a winning mentality.
“We’re playing some good teams, but I need to make some adjustments,” Johnson said. “There was a lack of intensity on my part and I promise next time that will change.”
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