Feb. 11, 2004
FAIRFIELD, Conn. -- The fact that the men's basketball team has won five straight games is not lost on the players or coaches. They are happy with their accomplishment, but know that the seven remaining games on the schedule are more important than the previous five contests.
Tonight, Fairfield will battle Rider University, a team which the Stags are currently in a fourth-place tie in the MAAC standings with a 7-4 mark. The winner of this game will move into a tie for third place in the standings with Niagara University, which Fairfield defeated last Saturday on the road.
The Stags are coming off an upstate New York sweep, defeating Canisius by four points and Niagara by 10 markers. The road sweep of the Buffalo-based teams was the second time in school history that the Stags accomplished this task, but the first time that the Stags did it in back-to-back games. Fairfield defeated both teams in overtime during the 2000-01 campaign, but made two separate trips.
Sophomore DeWitt Maxwell played a large role in both wins last week, shooting 68 percent from the floor (17 of 25) and averaging 19 points per game. He tallied a season-high tying 22 points in the Niagara win, making 10 of 14 field goal attempts. For his efforts, Maxwell was named the MAAC co-player of the week. He becomes the fourth different Fairfield player honored with a MAAC weekly award.
Rob Thomson continues to be one of the best all-around players in the MAAC, averaging 12 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. The senior posted his fifth double double of the season against Canisius, netting a career-high 21 points with 11 rebounds. Over the last five games, Thomson averaged 14.4 points and 8.0 rebounds per game and is second among his teammates with 13 assists.
In that same five-game run, junior Tyquawn Goode places second on the team in rebounding with 4.2 caroms per contest. Plus, the guard leads the team with 18 assists and eight steals. Kudjo Sogadzi and Michael Bell are also providing assistance with 13 and 11 points per game, respectively.
Rider University enters tonight's game with a 13-9 overall record, winning seven of its last 11 games. The Broncs come off a 58-51 win over Loyola, behind a double double from Edwin Muniz (14 points, 11 rebounds). Muniz broke a string of seven straight games in which guard Jerry Johnson was the team's leading scorer, a streak which started with Johnson netting 35 points in a 93-90 overtime win against Niagara University.
Fairfield returns to the Arena at Harbor Yard on Saturday, February 14 for a 3:30 pm game with Canisius College. The women's basketball team also plays the Golden Griffs that day, with a 1:30 pm tip-off. Tickets for those games and all Fairfield University basketball games can be purchased by calling (203) 254-4103 or going on-line to www.ticketmaster.com or by visiting the tickets page on this web site. Also, Fairfield basketball tickets may be purchased at the Arena box office during regular business hours.
