Feb. 15, 2003
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. -- Oscar Garcia scored a game-high 16 points by shooting seven of 11 from the floor, lifting Fairfield University (15-8 overall, 11-3 MAAC) to a 67-56 win over Marist College (9-14 overall, 5-9 MAAC).
The Stags never trailed in the game, with the only tie coming at 2-2 in the first minute of the game. Garcia scored six of the team's first eight points to get the team going offensively. The Red and White gained their first double-digits of the day when Michael Bell made a pair of free throws, making the score 17-6 with 12:08 on the clock. A three-point field goal by David Bennett pulled Marist withing eight points, 17-9, but a three-point play by Bell quickly pushed the Stags back in front by 11 points. Bell's play was the start of a 9-0 run with the end result being a 26-9 advantage with 9:18 remaining in the first half. The Red Foxes trailed by 10 or more points the rest of the way.
Fairfield's lead reached 24 points with a minute remaining in the first half, 41-17, before a pair of baskets by Dennis Young gave the Stags a 41-21 halftime advantage. Kudjo Sogadzi hit a three-pointer to start the second half, giving the home team a 23-point advantage. With the score 46-23, Marist cut into that lead with an 8-0 spurt to make the score 46-31. Nick Eppehimer was responsible for four of the eight Red Fox points.
Deng Gai pushed the lead back to 17 points with a pair of free throws, stopping the Marist run. However, back-to-back three-point baskets by David Bennett and Brandon Ellerbee continued Marist's threat, giving Fairfield an 11-point advantage at 48-37. Marist came as close as 10 points at 50-40 following Eric Siegrist's basket. But, the Stags responded with a 10-0 run, thanks in part to four points from both Gai and Sogadzi. The Stags still held a 20-point lead with four minutes to go, 67-47, before the Red Foxes finished the game with a nine-point string for a final score of 67-56.
The Stags defense held Marist to a field goal percentage of 32.2 percent, including just nine of 34 (26.5 percent) in the first half. Meanwhile, Fairfield made 13 of 19 field goal attempts in the first 20 minutes, translating into a .684 percentage. Gai was the only other Fairfield player in double-digits with 12 markers. Eppehimer and Chris Handy paced the Marist offense with 12 points each. Handy completed a double-double with a game-high 14 rebounds.
