Dec. 5, 2003
FAIRFIELD, Conn. -- The Fairfield University men's basketball team opens the conference portion of its schedule tonight by hosting Manhattan College (2-1 overall) at the Arena at Harbor Yard. Game time is slated for 7:30 pm.
This will be the first meeting between these two teams since the 2003 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) tournament final, which Manhattan won by a 69-54 count. It was the third meeting of the 2003-03 season between the Stags and the Jaspers with the visiting team winning on each other's court in the regular-season games.
The Jaspers will play their first road game of the season, after playing Columbia (72-57 win) at a neutral site and hosting both Fordham (90-77 win) and Wichita State (74-57 loss). Manhattan has most of its team returning from last year, including key players such as Luis Flores, Dave Holmes and Mike Konovelchick.
Flores leads the team with a 23.7 scoring average, having tallied 20 or more points in all three games. He netted a season-high 26 points in the victory over Columbia. The guard finished last year with a 24.6 scoring average, which placed second among the MAAC scoring leaders. Holmes posted a 22-point performance in the Fordham victory, which helped him collect a 15.0 scoring average. The senior also leads the team with nine rebounds per game, including nine against Wichita State.
Konovelchick is the team's three-point shooting threat, leading the team with seven long-range baskets in 18 attempts (.389). The guard ranks third on the team by averaging 11.7 points per game.
Fairfield enters tonight's game with a 2-1 mark, which includes a win over St. John's on the road. The Stags have four players averaging better than 10 points per game, namely Deng Gai (15.3 ppg), Rob Thomson (14.3 ppg), Terrence Todd (14.0 ppg) and Michael Bell (10.7 ppg). Bell is the only reserve to have a scoring average in double digits.
Gai is creating headlines in another way as well, as the junior enters tonight's game tied for the national lead in blocked shots per game. The forward has 16 blocks in three games for a 5.3 per game average, which ties him with ties him with Gabriel Lee of the University of Massachusetts.
Rob Thomson remains the team's top rebounder, having collected 10 or more caroms in two of the three games this season. He registered a double-double against Harvard (16 points, 12 rebounds) and St. John's (16 points, career-high 14 rebounds). He enters tonight's game with 14.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per game.
For ticket information regarding tonight's game, please call (203) 254-4103.
