Riding a six-game winning streak, a perfect 7-0 MAAC record and the program’s best start in 17 years, the men’s basketball team faces off with second-ranked Manhattan tonight at the Arena at Harbor Yard.

Manhattan, the preseason conference No. 1, has one conference loss this year, a 74-72 defeat to St. Peter’s three weeks ago.

“We will need to attack and control the boards,” said forward Nick Delfico ’03. “We’ll also need to put a lot of pressure on their guards.”

One major threat to the Stags will be the play of Jaspers’ guard Luis Flores. The 6-foot-2 junior ranks second in the league in scoring, netting just over 23 points per game.

Flores was named MAAC Player of the Week for the fourth time this season last week after back-to-back 23-point games.

“We’ll need to set up screens and stay tight to him. We’ll also need some guys to step up inside and help out,” Delfico said. “We also can’t let anyone else on their team have a career game. If he [Flores] throws down 20 points or whatever, then so be it.”

Fairfield will need to play complete team defense, as they have shown throughout the season so far, according to head coach Tim O’Toole.

The Stags defensive energy, led by the Tyquawn Goode, has placed the Stags in the midst of one of their best seasons in recent memory, with an 11-5 record overall.

The team’s most recent victory, a 80-71 win Monday at conference foe Siena, has been regarded as one of the team’s greatest comebacks.

Fairfield trailed 11-0 to start the game, and 23-6 mid-way through the first half.

But the comeback was on.

The surging Stags erupted for 58 second-half points for the win.

“It’s probably one of our greatest comebacks. We were surprised to be down by so much to start the game,” Delfico said. “But we were able to break down their zone-defense and were able to get the ball inside and in the gap more as the game went on.”

O’Toole agreed, and said the win shows the tremendous amount of character the team possess.

Fairfield’s team from last year, which compiled a 12-17 record, would have easily become rattled and discouraged from such a sluggish start to a game that saw the Stags down by as many as 17 points.

“The biggest part of it is a lot of these guys have been there before,” O’Toole said. “They have been through hard times. They’ve been down that road. They are determined that they aren’t going there again.”

The Stags have also perservered through the absence of forward Jeremy Logan ’03, who has missed the entire season due to a knee injury.

Logan scored two points in his only two minutes of action this year against DePaul. However, he will medical-redshirt the remainder of the season and will return for a fifth year next season.

Possibly the biggest reason for Fairfield’s drastic turnaround this year has been the team’s ability to win close games. The resilient Stags have a 5-2 record in games decided by six points or less this season, whereas, last year the team was a dreadful 2-8 in those games.

“The team has improved by leaps and bounds. Obviously, sooner better than later would have made everyone happier,” said Director of Athletics Eugene Doris. “I think we’re extremely happy that the university has been very patient, in terms of the basketball program, and believe the person in position [O’Toole] was doing the right thing. Now we’re moving forward.”

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