Once Upon A Time In Las Vegas – Wildcard Edition
The (6-9 SU, 7-7 ATS) Fairfield Stags and (11-5 SU, 10-6 ATS) Iona Gaels will square off in Metro Atlantic Athletic competition on Friday at Hynes Athletics Center. The Stags, 0-5 on the road, lost 77-69 to Niagra last Friday. The Gaels, 5-0 at home, lost 81-58 at Quinnipiac in their last game.
Iona beat Fairfield twice last season. The Gaels are 61-43 all-time versus the Stags.
Tip-off from New Rochelle, NY, is at 7:00 p.m. ET. Iona is a 14.5-point spread favorite, and the game total is 137 points.
At 6-9 overall and 2-3 in MAAC play, the Stags are running out of time to get their season on track. The second-place Gaels will provide a challenge for Fairfield. Iona was picked to win the MAAC in the conference's preseason poll, while the Stags were picked to finish fifth.
Fairfield lost a heartbreaker to Niagra in overtime last game. The Stags, outscored 14-6 in OT, shot only 31.8 percent from the field and 12.5 percent from three but made up for it at the foul line (25-for-29). Fairfield also outrebounded the Purple Eagles 44-40 with 15 offensive rebounds. Niagara finished with a 45.3 FG%, committed fewer turnovers, and recorded more assists.
Ice the shooter?
Ice. Cold.
Woj hits two free throws with 0.1 on the clock, and we're going to overtime??
Stags trailed 59-54 with under 30 seconds to play
?? #ESPN3
?? https://t.co/w7mOyT6I6f
?? https://t.co/BMUmIeRIvU#WeAreStags #StagsCompete #MAACHoops ???? pic.twitter.com/oAnki0UOTO— Fairfield Men's Basketball (@FairfieldMBB) January 7, 2023
The Stags score 65.1 points (330th) on 39.4 percent shooting (350th), including 27.9 percent from three (356th). They're 309th in D-1 in schedule-adjusted offensive efficiency, per KenPom.
Junior forward Supreme Cook paces Fairfield, averaging 13.2 points and 8.8 rebounds. He's joined by senior guard Caleb Fields (12.8 PPG and 3.7 RPG), sophomore guard TJ Long (9.5 PPG and 3.1 RPG), and senior forward Allan Jeanne-Rose (8.1 PPG and 4.1 RPG).
Fairfield surrenders 65.2 points on 43.4 percent shooting, including 31.0 percent from long range. Its schedule-adjusted defensive efficiency rating is 22nd, and its assist-per-turnover ratio (0.71) is 340th.