Box Score BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – Fairfield defeated Saint Peter's 57-43 in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) men's basketball action on Saturday.
Desi Washington (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) paced the Peacocks (13-16, 7-11 MAAC) with 10 points in the loss.
Tyler Nelson powered the Stags (7-21, 5-13 MAAC) with 26 points while Mike Kirkland added 15 points and Marcus Gilbert chipped in 11 points in the loss.
Fairfield finished the first half with a run to take the lead and then used a strong second half to end a four-game losing streak against Saint Peter's.
The Stags used a 7-0 run in the final four minutes of the first half to take a 27-26 lead going into the locker room, an advantage they would hold the rest of the game.
After the Peacocks used a 7-0 run to take its largest lead at 26-20, Gilbert started the run to end the stanza with two free throws at 3:40 before Steve Johnston added two charity tosses with 1:53 left to trim the margin to 26-24. Nelson then nailed a trey with 26.7 seconds left to give Fairfield the lead at the break.
Saint Peter's started the game making 10 of its first 18 shots to take a 26-20 advantage with 4:08 left in the first half. The squad then finished the final 24 minutes 6-for-35 from the field and that included an eight-minute and 53 minute stretch in the final stanza that saw the squad go 0-for-13 from the field.
Kirkland started the scoring in the second half with a dunk at 18:03 and followed with a jumper at 17:15 for a 31-26 advantage. Marvin Dominique (Miramar, Fla./Miramar) ended a six minute and 43 second scoring drought that started in the opening half with a jumper at 16:15 to trim the margin to 31-28, but Gilbert answered with a layup at 15:59 to restore a five-point advantage.
Jamel Fields (Albany, N.Y./Cheshire Academy) brought the Peacocks within two points on a trey at 14:29 only to see Nelson go down to drain a 3-pointer of his own 22 seconds later. Elias Desport (Stockholm, Sweden/Solna Gymnasium) scored in the lane to trim the margin to 36-33 with 12:59 on the clock, but then Nelson scored the next five points on a triple and two free throws to extend the lead to 41-33 with 10:59 left. Tyler Gaskins (Roswell, Ga./Centennial) responded with a trey at 9:38 to trim the margin to 41-36.
Over the next eight minutes and 53 seconds, the Stags went on a 14-2 run to take a 55-38 advantage powered by 11 points from Nelson.
Gaskins ended the field goal drought with a jumper with 44 seconds left and Washington nailed a trey with 31 seconds left, but Fairfield came away with a 57-43 victory.
The Stags scored 13 of the 22 points to take a 13-9 lead midway through the first half thanks to four points apiece by Gilbert and Kirkland.
With Fairfield holding a 16-15 advantage the Peacocks used an 11-5 run to take a 26-20 advantage powered by four points by Wyche. The spurt included a 7-0 run with the score 20-19 in favor of the Stags that saw Fields hit two free throws, Dominique drain a trey and Washington knock down a jumper in a span of 65 seconds for the 26-20 lead. The Stags then scored the final seven points to go into the second half with the one-point lead and never looked back to earn the victory.
Fields added nine points while Trevis Wyche (Neptune, N.J./Saint Peter's Prep) had eight points and five rebounds. Dominique, the current MAAC Player of the Week, finished the contest with five points and five rebounds.
While the game was being played, Canisius defeated Quinnipiac to knock out Saint Peter's from contention of the No. 5 seed and push the Peacocks into the one of the three MAAC Tournament Opening Round games on Thursday, March 5.
Saint Peter's, who has lost three-straight conference games for the first time this season, concludes its road slate at Marist on Friday. Game time is 7 p.m.
