Box Score The Saint Peter's University men's basketball team (7-16, 2-11 MAAC) dropped a 61-44 decision to the Fairfield University Stags (15-10, 7-6 MAAC) at the Webster Bank Arena this evening.
The Peacocks hung with the Stags for the majority of the first half, until a 9-2 Fairfield run put Saint Peter's in an eight-point hole with under four minutes to play. Saint Peter's was unable to get closer than seven for the remainder of the contest.
Darius Conley led the Peacocks with 9 points, 6 rebounds. Chris Prescott added 8 points off the bench on 3-5 shooting.
Conley opened up the first half scoring back to back buckets in the first six minutes to give the Peacocks an early 4-2 lead over the host Stags. Fairfield proceeded to rattle off seven straight points however, to go in front 9-4 with 8:30 remaining in the stanza.
Sophomore Markese Tucker scored four straight points to bring the visitors within one less than a minute later, but three consecutive Fairfield treys (two by Marcus Gilbert) opened a six-point lead for the hosts (18-12).
Fairfield established their first double-digit lead of the game three minutes later with 2:39 remaining in the stanza. Desi Washington managed to drain a trey off the feed from Blaise Ffrench to get back within 7, before the Stags netted two straight baskets to go up 11. Senior guard Yvon Raymond converted a layup with 35 seconds left to account for the last Peacock points in the stanza, as Saint Peter's went into the half-time break trailing 30-19.
The Stags maintained their offensive prowess in the second half; starting off the second stanza with a 7-0 spurt to go in front by 18 (37-19). A conventional three-point play by Conley at 16:08 however brought the Peacocks within 15 (39-24).
Saint Peter's got as close as 14 (40-26) nearing the fourteen-minute mark after a jumper by Washington, but the Stags maintained at least a 15-point lead for the remainder of the contest.
The Peacocks trailed by as many as 19, on several occasions in the last thirteen minutes of play.
Overall, Saint Peter's shot 32.1% from the floor, 33.3% from three-point range and 53.8% from the free-throw line. Fairfield shot 46%, 35.3% and 81.8%, respectively.
Fairfield out-rebounded the Peacocks by a 36-32 margin. Both teams committed 13 turnovers.
The Stags were led by Maurice Barrow's 15 points.
35 of Fairfield's 61 points came off the bench.
Saint Peter's hosts Siena this Sunday in the Yanitelli Center at 2pm.
