Once Upon A Time In Las Vegas – Divisional Round
The Fairfield Stags and Siena Saints are playing Sunday at MVP Arena. Tip-off from Albany, NY, is at 2:00 p.m. ET.
The Stags, 8-10 SU and 10-7 ATS, defeated Canisius 67-58 on Friday. They've won consecutive games and two of their past five. The Saints, 13-6 SU and 12-6-1 ATS, defeated Mount St. Mary's 72-57 on Friday. They've won four of their past five overall.
Siena beat Fairfield three times last season and defeated them 70-61 on New Year's Day. The Saints hold a 47-30 advantage in the series' history.
The Stags, 4-4 in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference competition, are in a fourth-place tie with Manhattan. Picked to finish fifth in the MAAC preseason poll, Fairfield is still in the mix despite an 8-10 overall record.
The Stags did win on Friday, taking down the Golden Griffins at home. Fairfield only led by one point at the half but delivered a strong second-half performance. It shot 22-of-49 (44.9%) from the field, committed fewer turnovers than its opponent, and had a plus-three rebounding advantage.
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Stags take down Canisius inside an excited @MahoneyArena ??#WeAreStags?? pic.twitter.com/GsST9TDuXT
— Fairfield Men's Basketball (@FairfieldMBB) January 21, 2023
Fairfield averages 64.9 points per game (334th) on 40.5 percent shooting (338th), including 28.3 percent from three (356th). The Stags shoot 72.1 percent from the foul line (152nd) and average 32.2 rebounds (183rd) with a +0.8 rebounding margin. They're ranked 303rd nationally in schedule-adjusted offensive efficiency, per KenPom.
Junior forward Supreme Cook paces Fairfield in scoring, averaging 13.3 points on 54.7 percent shooting from the field. He also adds 8.6 rebounds per game. The Stags count on contributions from senior guard Caleb Fields (12.6 PPG and 3.8 RPG), sophomore guard TJ Long (9.7 PPG), and senior forward Allan Jeanne-Rose (8.6 PPG and 4.2 RPG).
Fairfield surrenders 64.6 points per game (60th) on 42.4 percent shooting (146th), including 29.3 percent from long range (25th). It's 189th in schedule-adjusted defensive efficiency and 339th in assist-per-turnover ratio (0.74).