With the Stags up by three points and 2:22 left in overtime, sophomore guard Jonathan Han took a pass from Mamadou Diakhate `08 and knocked down a three pointer to extend the lead to six. It was the third straight three pointer for the Stags and it sealed the victory over the Iona Gaels.
The Stags (4-15, 2-5 MAAC) hung on to defeat Iona (0-16, 0-6) 83-76 at the Hynes Athletic Center in New Rochelle, N.Y. The Stags win broke a five game losing streak, while Iona remains the only winless team in Division One basketball.
“That shot was the play of the game,” Fairfield Head Coach Ed Cooley said. “They were down by three with three or four seconds left on the shot clock. That’s a tough shot to take. I credit him for taking the shot.”
For the second game in a row, Han, who also had seven assists, made what his coach called the play of the game. Unlike against Rider, where his misstep on the baseline cost his team on a key possession during the final minutes of the game, his play secured a win.
“Coach saw me before the game and talked to me about being a better decision maker.” Said Han. “I took it upon me to take big shots. I just wanted to come out here and show my coach and my team that I could lead the team to victory.”
The Stags and Gaels battled back and forth throughout the first half, with neither side able to take control and five lead changes. Heading into the break the two teams were tied at 31.
Greg Nero `10 led all scorers with 10 points in the first, putting him in double figures for the fourth straight game. But Nero did not play in the second half, as Cooley decided, “I thought we had better matchups on the floor going a little bit smaller.”
Fairfield struggled coming out in the second half, as the Gaels jumped out to a 38-31 lead with 18:36 left in the game, by scoring the first seven points.
Cooley called a timeout but the Stags continued to fall further behind, as Iona jumped out to a 51-42 lead on a Devon Clarke layup with 13:31 left in the game.
Then the Stags fortunes took a turn for the better as they went on a 6-0 run, ending with a layup from freshman Devin Johnson that cut the lead to three points, at 51-48. Iona kept control of the lead until the final three minutes in the game.
The Gaels inability to pull away allowed Fairfield to take its first lead of the half, on a Michael Van Schaick `07 jumper with 1:50 left in the game, at 64-62.
But Fairfield was once again unable to hang onto a lead in the last minutes of the game.
Clarke made a layup to bring the Gaels back within two and then stole a pass from Van Schaick, giving his team a chance to tie the score, which they did on a Mike Harris layup with 2.9 seconds left. Fairfield could not score and the game was sent into overtime.
Milan Prodanovic scored the first basket of overtime, but a Van Schaick three gave the Stags a lead they would not let go. Herbie Allen `09, who finished with 15 points, and Han then hit back to back three pointers.
Fairfield went 6-for-6 from the free throw line in the final minute of the game to wrap up the win.
“It feels good [to win] especially pulling it out down the stretch in overtime,” said Van Schaick, who finished with 16 points. “Our backs were against the wall as they have been all year and I’m proud of everyone for coming through.”
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