Post-Game Press Conference 

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. -- It was one of only 59 shots taken by the Fairfield University men's basketball team on Sunday night. But it was arguably the most important basket by any Stag on the court that night. So much so, Head Coach Ed Cooley made a point of bringing it up at the post-game press conference.

When senior Mamadou Diakhate released his three-point shot with 4:31 left on the clock, Fairfield was on the verge of erasing a 14-point first half deficit against Sacred Heart University. When the ball tickled the twine on its way through the hoop, the game would be tied at 31-31 and the Stags would never trail again.

"I keep telling my seniors to stick with it because as seniors, they never know when their moment will arrive to lead this team," Cooley said after the game. "It always seems that when Mamadou takes the floor, he gives us a lift."

Diakhate was one of four Fairfield players to reach double figures in the scoring column, which helped the Stags post an 84-75 win over the Pioneers in the first-every meeting between the two schools. Junior Jonathan Han led all scorers with 22 points, while Greg Nero and Anthony Johnson added 21 and 10 points, respectively.

It was a rough start for the Stags, as the visitors tallied the first five points of the game. Nero's layup put a stop to the quick spurt, but the lead quickly became seven points at 11-4 when Corey Hassan and Chauncey Hardy each hit a three-point shot following an Anthony Johnson alley-oop slam.

But the Pioneers were only beginning as they quickly built a 14-point lead at 21-7 just seven minutes into the game. Coach Cooley called a timeout to calm his team and quell  the emotion of the crowd of 5,000-plus fans. The Pioneers still led by double digits at 27-15 with 10 minutes remaining, but Fairfield answered with eight straight points over the next four minutes to make the score 27-24.

The three-point deficit remained intact at 31-28 until Diakhate let loose his three-point shot from about the same place on the court that he made a trey to send last year's Iona game into overtime. After forcing a pair of turnovers on Sacred Heart's next two possessions, Herbie Allen calmly sank a pair of free throws to put Fairfield in front for the first time.

The Pioneers would tie the score at 33-33 after Brice Brooks' jumper, but Diakhate made one of two free throws, the first of nine straight Fairfield points that built a 42-33 advantage with 34 seconds remaining in the half.

Sacred Heart made several challenges in the second half, cutting the lead to four points on three occasions including 71-67 with 3:39 remaining. But on two of those occasions, Han put a pair of points on the board to stop the run and keep the Stags momentum intact. Warren Edney's three-point shot was responsible for the stop on the other occasion.

Han dominated the game by making six of seven shots from the floor and nine of 10 from the line while dishing off eight assists in 38 minutes. Nero also shot well by making seven of 10 field goal attempts, and six of eight charity tosses. Not to be forgotten, Anthony Johnson completed a double double with 10 points and 11 rebounds, six of which were on the offensive glass.

The Stags will have a few days to rest up after coming off a three-game run over six days. The team returns to action on November 24 against Cincinnati, the first of three straight road games that sends the Stags to St. Francis N.Y. (November 28) and Georgetown (December 1).