Aisha Faulkner/The Mirror
Exhibition game or not, the Fairfield Men’s Basketball team pulled together during halftime and came out with a commanding 97-70 win against the Bridgeport Purple Knights last week.
Both the Stags and Purple Knights were a little rusty in the first half as Fairfield shot 15-33 from the field, while the Purple Knights were 10-24 from the floor.
However, the action picked up in the second half with Fairfield shooting 62% from the field and firing on all cylinders. The unit gelled together nicely as the Stags had 25 total assists in the game compared to 5 by the Purple Knights.
Rakim Sanders was a standout for the Stags with his team-leading 18 points as well as 7 rebounds. Although the BC transfer stood out as a man among boys in his 26 minutes on the floor, he was quick to credit his performance to his teammates.
“Our chemistry off the court helps us on the court. I was a little nervous [with] this being my first game, but I was happy with how we played,” said Sanders.
With this being Coach Johnson’s first official game at the helm for Fairfield, he was pleased by the effort of his team.
“We played very hard and were very solid offensively. Wee realize we are going to face good competition at all levels and this was a good first step for us,” said Johnson.
With Bridgeport senior guard Dante Mentor going scoreless in the contest, Fairfield also had a solid game on the defensive side of the ball. The Stags recorded eight total steals along with six blocks. Senior center Ryan Olander only played eight minutes due to foul trouble, but he was happy as the rest of his teammates just to be out on the court against real competition.
“It was good to see a team with different uniform. We’ve practiced against each other over and over, and now we’re excited to get out there and start competing,” said Olander.
Although the Stags had many players coming off the bench who made an impact, one of Fairfield’s underclassman particularly stood out.
Sophomore Keith Matthews was a great contributor with his 20 points and 9 rebounds coming off the bench. Coach Johnson reiterated the team first concept in regard to Matthew’s performance.
“I was happy to see Keith do well. Guys were sharing the ball well and he took advantage of his opportunities,” said Johnson.
The depth of the Stags roster was showcased against Bridgeport as four Fairfield players had double-digit points. Junior guard Derek Needham put up 10 points, seven assists, and just one turnover, demonstrating how the multitude of offensive weapons the Stags have will be instrumental to his game.
“The depth of the team takes a whole lot of pressure off of me and I am definitely happy about it as we look toward the future,” said Needham.
And the future is coming up rapidly as Fairfield plays in its first regular season game this Friday against Quinnipiac University at the arena in Mohegan Sun.
Coach Johnson represented Fairfield at the Connecticut Six Basketball Classic Breakfast in Hartford, CT on Tuesday and offered praise to Quinnipiac, commenting on how they are a tough team to open against.
“Our team has a lot of good players, but starting off against Quinnipiac won’t be easy as they’ve been a solid team in their conference. But we are excited to get underway,” said Johnson.
Along with Fairfield and Quinnipiac, the other schools participating in the Classic are Yale, Sacred Heart, and Central Connecticut State. Coach Tom Moore of Quinnipiac has a young team and is certainly aware of the challenge that Johnson and the Stags pose to his team.
“Coach Johnson will be a fine representative of Fairfield University. It will be tough to keep up with their guys on Friday, but we are ready for the challenge,” said Moore.
The feelings seem to be mutual as the Fairfield Stags prepare to kick off this highly anticipated season. The journey starts at Mohegan Sun. Where it will end?
Only time will tell.
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