Fairfield enters this weekend with momentum after picking up wins last week against Niagara and Canisius at home. The Stags play Iona away at New Rochelle on Friday at 7:00 p.m., then they play Quinnipiac at home on Sunday at 2:00 p.m.
The Stags have been up and down this season, clocking in with a record of 13-9(5-6), which earns them seventh in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, which puts them tied with Mount Saint Mary’s and Sacred Heart University.
One of the main focus points for the Stags this week in practice has been “having intensity and making sure that we’re the team that wants it more,” first-year forward Declan Wucherpfennig said.
Also, for these next two games, Fairfield wants to “treat them like it’s any other game and focus on winning the battles of every possession.”
This next game against Iona is important because their record of 14-8(6-5) puts them one spot above Fairfield. Iona is on a two-game winning streak after picking up a hard-fought win against Merrimack last week, 61-60, which handed them their second loss in the season.
Iona has been led this year by graduate guard CJ Anthony, who’s averaging 13.7 points per game on the season. Graduate forward Toby Harris also leads the team in 3-pointers. Finally, the graduate forward Lamin Sabally leads the team in rebounds this year for Iona.
Iona is a very balanced team that has multiple guys who could be threats to Fairfield in this game, especially since they’re a very experienced team.
Then Fairfield will play Quinnipiac at Leo D. Mahony Arena, which is another important game because Quinnipiac is two spots above Fairfield. Their record is 14-8(7-4) so far this season.
Quinnipiac is led by multiple players, including first-year guard Samson Reilly, who leads the team in 3-pointers. Sophomore guard Jaden Zimmerman leads the team in average points per game.
Senior forward Amari Monroe leads the team in rebounds for the team. While senior guard Asim Jones led the team in assists.
Fairfield has done very well at home this season, having a record of 9-2. But Fairfield has had their own players step up this year, especially in returning senior guard Braden Sparks, who leads the team in 3 pointers and average points per game.
But one of the main benefits that Fairfield has seen this season is the production they have seen from their first-year players, including forward Brandon Benjamin and Wucherpfennig, who are second and third in average points per game. Both players lead the team in rebounds.
The Stags opened up last week with a home game against Niagara, which was a back-and-forth game throughout its entirety. The final result was 62-61 for Fairfield, which ended on a game winning 3 pointer from first-year guard Tony Williams.
Benjamin and Wucherpfennig lead the team in points and rebounds. This win was almost like a look to the future for the Stags, with first-year players leading the team in most major categories.
Then later on in the week, Fairfield played Canisius at home, which ended in a 61-55 win for the Stags. This performance for the Stags was led by the veterans, with Sparks and graduate guard Deuce Turner leading in points.
However, the young guns weren’t totally out of sight, with Benjamin and Wucherpfennig leading the team in rebounds for the game.
Fairfield plays their next game on Friday against Iona at 7 pm at Leo D. Mahony Arena.