Box Score

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. -- Anthony Johnson tallied a double double with 13 points and 12 rebounds, while three other Stags scored in double figures to lead the Fairfield University men's basketball team to a 74-66 exhibition win over the University of Bridgeport.

Greg Nero added 13 points and seven rebounds to the Fairfield effort, while Warren Edney and Yorel Hawkins netted 12 points each in the victory. Jonathan Han recorded six points and six assists in the Stags debut.

Fairfield never trailed in the game, although Bridgeport kept things close for most of the first half and into the second half.  The new length of the three-point line did not discourage the home team to start the contest as Herbie Allen and Nero each hit a three-point shot on the team's first two attempts of the game, giving Fairfield a quick 6-0 lead.

The Stags led by eight points at the first media time out, 12-4, and kept that margin for the 12-minute media timeout as well at 15-7. The Purple Knights continued to whittle away at the Fairfield advantage, coming as close it they would in the game at 20-17 following Teairez Stennis' lay up with 8:24 on the clock.

However, Fairfield tallied five points in 17 seconds behind a three-point shot by Edney, and a steal by Lyndon Jordan that led to Johnson's lay up. Bridgeport continued to chip away at the Fairfield edge, twice coming as close as four points with under four minutes remaining in the half. Fairfield followed up with a small run that enabled it to increase its lead slightly at 33-27 at intermission, as Johnson scored three of the team's final six points of the half.

The lead hovered around six points for the first 10 minutes of the second half. Fairfield would push the lead to nine points on several occasions, but Bridgeport would always battle back to six points. With Fairfield up by seven points at the 12:54 mark, 50-43, the Stags would put the game out of reach with a 9-0 run over the next two-plus minutes that gave the home team its largest lead at 59-43 with 9:20 on the clock.

Bridgeport did not cut the lead to under 10 until the 43-second mark at 72-63, before settling for the 74-66 final score.

Stennis led all scorers with 24 points, while Dave Boykin was the only other Bridgeport player in double figures with 13 points.

The Stags open the regular season on November 15 when they travel to the University of Memphis.