The Fairfield University Men’s basketball team is slated to face a wide variety of opponents for the upcoming winter stretch. Set to face their first set of in-conference opponents starting this evening, the Stags will begin their quest to conquer the MAAC this season against Rider University.
Tonight at 7:00 p.m., the Leo D. Mahoney Arena will host the first conference match for the Stags against Rider University’s Broncs. With an overall record of 4-4, the Broncs have matched the Stags through the early season schedule. All four of the Broncs’ wins were away, and marks the first time in program history that they’ve won as many as three true road games in November; it is also currently the most in the nation. The Broncs are led by Tariq Ingraham, a graduate student forward, who picked up Rider’s first double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 rebounds in their most recent game. Graduate student guard T.J. Weeks Jr. leads the Broncs in scoring with 12.5 points per game, and redshirt senior Jay Alvarez also adds double figures with 11.1 points per outing. Weeks and Ingraham share the team lead with 5.6 rebounds per game apiece.
On Sunday, December 8th, the Stags will then travel to Emmitsburg, Maryland to face Mount St. Mary’s University’s Knights for their second MAAC outing. At the time of print, the Knights are 1-5 in total and 1-1 at home. Senior forward Connor Cyran recently passed the 1000-point mark during the Hudson Valley Classic. Cyran leads the Knights with 14.7 points per game, 5.5 rebounds per game and 12 steals in total.
Set to ring in the new year with their third MAAC matchup on January 3rd, the Stags will face the Merrimack College Warriors in North Andover, Massachusetts. Players to look out for on the opposing roster include Adam “Budd” Clark, a sophomore guard from Philadelphia. Clark was most recently named MAAC Player of the Week after averaging 22.8 points per game across three games. He currently ranks first in the conference with 19.9 points per game overall, and second in assists with 4.5.
A week after their trip to North Andover the Stags are set to host the Iona University Gaels. With an overall 44-77 record against the Gaels, the Stags are facing a historically challenging opponent who’s been struggling with a 2-7 overall this season so far. The Gaels’ trio of team captains will be visitors to keep an eye on. Graduate student Jalen Barr and seniors Dejour Reaves and Clarence Rupert have combined to play more than 260 games in their collegiate careers.
On January 12, the Stags will make a trip up to Poughkeepsie, New York to face the Marist College Red Foxes. The Red Foxes have an overall 28-44 record against Fairfield. Most recently in the news out of Marist, sophomore guard Josh Pascarelli was named to the Early Season Watch List for the Lou Henson Award, which is presented to the top mid-major men’s college basketball player annually. So far, Pascarelli is averaging 20.8 points per game, shooting .574 from the field and .566 from behind the arc.
The next two games for the Stags will be at home, firstly against the Niagara University Purple Eagles. A standout performance for Niagara was seen from sophomore guard Jahari Williamson in their game against Binghamton University. Williamson delivered a buzzer-beater three pointer to push the Purple Eagles to their second win of the season.
Canisius University’s Golden Griffins are 0-8 overall at the time of print, and would be the next opponent that the Stags host after Niagara. Despite the grim team record, standout junior guard Paul McMillan IV is averaging 19.6 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.
The foes and the leaders of their brigades will prove to be a challenge for the Stags over the first stretch of the winter, but there is much to look forward to in terms of stars to put Fairfield’s trust in.
Redshirt freshman Makuei Riek, a guard for the Stags, had his best performance yet during the Naismith Hall of Fame Tip-Off at the Mohegan Sun Arena. Facing both Yale University and the University of Vermont, Reik averaged 11.5 points per game on 9-for-20 shooting. He tallied up 25 rebounds and 2.0 assists per outing as well. Most specifically in his outing against Yale, the defending Ivy League Champion, Riek put away 13 points with three boards and two assists. Against Vermont, he kept his own momentum going and scored the first seven points for the Stags. He finished with 10 points, two rebounds and two assists in the tournament’s second game.
Jamie Bergens, a third of the trio of Fairfield captains, put up 20 points against Fairleigh Dickinson University on December 1st. That game marked a season-best 55 bench points for the Stags. Off the bench were five of Fairfield’s top six scorers in the matchup. Peyton Smith, a sophomore forward, also stood out against FDU with a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds. Junior guard Prophet Johnson currently leads the team with 11 points per game and 7.1 rebounds per contest as well.
Looking to rewrite the second-place outcome in the MAAC Championship for the 2023-2024 season, Fairfield has shown the same hunger and grit that led them through the championship tournament last year. Tonight at the Mahoney Arena will feature a Teddy Bear Toss at halftime that will collect donations for children with compromised health. It is also an FYE Connect Event. Tickets to home games are available via fairfieldstags.com.
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