Nov. 24, 2003
JAMAICA, N.Y. -- Mike Bell scored a game-high 17 points, while Rob Thomson added his second straight double-double in Fairfield University's 64-59 win over St. John's University. The win ended the Red Storm's 46-game non-conference win streak at Alumni Hall, last losing to Long Island University on November 23, 1996.
The Stags defense was the story for the second straight game, blocking seven shots and holding the opposition to a .361 field goal percentage. Plus, Fairfield turned the ball over just two times in the second half and overtime periods, after committing 10 miscues in the first half.
The visitors led through most of the game, jumping out to a 4-0 lead on their first three possessions. The Stags remained in the lead for the first 10 minutes of the first half, before Daryll Hill's layup tied the score at 13-13. Elijah Ingram hit a three-pointer on the team's next possession, pushing St. John's in front for the first time at 16-13. Trailing by five points with eight minutes remaining in the half, Fairfield used a 11-6 run over the next four minutes to tie the score at 26-26. Michael Bell hit three three-pointers during that run, the last of which was the tying basket. The two teams remained tied at intermission, 28-28, as Deng Gai and Ingram each scored a basket in the closing minutes.
Tyquawn Goode put the Red and White back in front with a pair of free throws, making the score 30-28 with 18:44 left in the game. Thomson hit a pair of baskets in a 6-2 spurt to push Fairfield's advantage to 36-30 at the 16-minute mark. Not to be outdone, St. John's stormed back with an 8-2 run to tie the game at 38-38, evening the score on Ingram's three-point shot.
The Stags scored the next five points, as Gai added three points and Bell hit a jumper to make the score 43-38. St. John's would come back once again to tie the game at 51-51with three mintues remaining. Terrence Todd made a pair of free throws to put Fairfield back in front, but the Red Storm made two of four free throws in the closing minutes to make the score 53-53 with 35 seconds left. Fairfield ran the clock down and held for the last shot. Goode's jumper missed the mark, but Thomson grabbed the rebound. As he went up for a shot, the whistle and horn blew practically similtaneously. After conferring for several minutes, the officials decided that since there was no television replay to verify which came first, regulation time ran out and the game would go into overtime.
Gai opened the overtime with a three-point basket from the top of the key, making the score 56-53. Kyle Cuffe put St. John's in front for the first time since the first half with back-to-back three point shots on consecutive possessions, giving the Red Storm a 59-56 advantage with three minutes remaining. The points would be the last for St. John's, as Fairfield's defense clamped down once again. Meanwhile, Fairfield pulled within one point on a monster dunk from Gai, and took the lead on two free throws by Todd. With 13 seconds left and the Stags still up one point, Thomson went to the line for a pair of free throws. St. John's head coach Mike Jarvis called back-to-back timeouts to try and ice Thomson, but the senior would have none of it. He calmly made both charity tosses to push the lead to three points, 62-59.
Bell iced the game with a pair of free throws in the final seconds, the second straight game in which the sophomore put the game out of reach for the opposition. His steal and layup in the closing seconds against Harvard gave Fairfield a five-point lead and ended the Crimson's hopes.
The win was Fairfield's first over a Big East school since the Stags defeated Boston College in 1998, a 75-70 decision in Conte Forum. Fairfield returns to action on December 2, when it opens the home portion of its schedule against Fordham. To purchase tickets or for information, please call (203) 254-4103 or visit the ticket page on this website.
