Feb. 7, 2005
JERSEY CITY, N.J. -- Terrence Todd scored a game-high 26 points in Fairfield University's 77-76 loss to Saint Peter's College on Monday night. Todd pushed the game into overtime with five points in the final minute of regulation, including two clutch free throws in the closing seconds.
The Stags fell behind briefly to start the game, as they erased a four-point deficit over the first six minutes before they took the lead for the first time at 11-9. Fairfield's lead would reach as many as nine points after DeWitt Maxwell's lay up mad ethe score 20-11 with 11:29 left in the first half.
Saint Peter's slowly cut into the deficit, coming as close as three points on three different occasions. The Stags eventually settled for a three-point halftime lead at 36-32, thanks to a pair of free throws from Deng Gai with 32 seconds remaining.
The Peacocks continued their methodical comeback in the opening minutes of the second half, eventually tying the score at 39-39 with 17:28 on the clock. A three-point basket by Keydren Clark, the nation's leading scorer, regained the lead for Saint Peter's at 42-39 at the 15:58 mark.
Fairfield trailed for six more minutes before it recaptured the lead following a put-back dunk by Gai for a 54-53 lead at 9:59. Saint Peter's responded with a 13-5 run over the next six minutes to take what appeared to be a commanding 66-59 lead with 3:39 remaining in regulation.
Todd took over from that point and scored Fairfield's final nine points of regulation. The Stags trailed by five points with 1:03 remaining, but Todd's three-pointer cut the deficit to two points, 68-66. Clark was fouled in the back court for Saint Peter's, setting up a one-and-one situation. He missed the front end of the situation, and Gai grabbed the rebound.
Todd was eventually fouled with nine ticks left, and calmly made the two free throws to tie the score and to send the game into overtime. Fairfield took its only lead of the extra period when Kudjo Sogadzi hit a layup one minute into overtime. The Peacocks scored the next five points to take a three-point lead, before Fairfield made three of its next four free throws to tie the score at 73-73.
After trading baskets to keep the score tied at 75-75, Clark made two free throws with six seconds remaining to make the score 77-75 in favor of the Peacocks. The Stags had one last chance to tie the score, but a missed free throw was the difference in the 77-76 setback.
Gai just missed another double double with 10 points, nine rebounds, and eight blocked shots. Sogadzi came off the bench to score 13 points for Fairfield, while Michael Van Schaick added 12 markers.
Clark netted 24 points in the game, while George Jefferson came off the bench to tally 15 points which included four three-point baskets.
