MAAC Monday: A closer look at Fairfield, stat leaders, power rankings

By Jaden Daly (@jadendaly) and Vincent Simone (@VTSimone)

The second edition of MAAC Monday, and first of 2019, is upon us after week one of Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play is all but in the books, with every team in the league having contested at least one game and two others -- Niagara and Fairfield -- tipping off tonight in the second and third games for each side, respectively. In fact, before we refresh the stat leaders of the MAAC and unveil our latest batch of power rankings, it will be the Stags that serve as the subject of our opening segment after quite the eventful start to conference play in recent days. Projected to be among the middle of the pack, Fairfield saw two double-digit leads evaporate in each of its first two MAAC contests, leading Rider by as many as 17 before falling short in the final seconds on its home floor, and then seeing a 12-point advantage at Iona fall by the wayside as the Gaels battled back in the second half. Looking to avoid an 0-3 start tonight, we take a closer look at last year's runner-up and its start to life without Tyler Nelson:

At 3-11 on the season, Fairfield has experienced the embodiment of growing pains behind a roster containing three freshmen -- one of whom, Neftali Alvarez, is among the frontrunners for MAAC Rookie of the Year honors with averages of 13 points per game to go with nearly four assists and four rebounds per contest -- and five sophomores. But rather than waste another minute on crying, head coach Sydney Johnson remains confident in his belief that the best is ready to begin.

"We have a lot of talent in our gym," Johnson said this past July when we caught up with him to discuss Fairfield's prospects for the coming year. "The issue is just kind of getting them all enough reps to play together and grow throughout the season, get game experience, and then peak at the right time."

So far, Fairfield is nowhere close to its peak, having wandered the valley of close losses throughout the non-conference season, and even further through its first two MAAC games. Of the Stags' eleven defeats, all but one -- the season-opening loss to Purdue -- have come by ten points or less, with six of the ten decided by one possession, the latter showing that the potential is indeed present even if the ball has not always bounced its way. With three double-digit scorers, though, and a fourth -- Jesus Cruz, who averages nine points per game, close behind; not to mention a deep bench that has not even maximized its talent yet -- Aidas Kavaliauskas and Wassef Methnani, key figures on last year's team who have gone through slumps and reduced minutes -- the numbers suggest that Fairfield is close to a breakthrough, something not lost on the man responsible for turning out a winning product.

"I love the fact that we continue to get ourselves in it," Johnson told Dan Gardella of College Hoops Digest after a one-point setback against Oakland last month. "The spirit of the locker room is fantastic. You can't continue to do what we're doing without some togetherness and heart."

But while the front inside the walls is united, it takes more than just heart and resolve to win games, as 20 turnovers against Rider and Iona's transition game illustrated this past week.

"Down the stretch, it's fair to say we did a poor job of executing," Johnson said following the loss to Rider. "It's just painful growth."

Mama said there'd be days like this, but the extent of them was always unknown. For Fairfield and its fans, the hope is that the age of maturity comes sooner, rather than later.

Scoring Leaders
1) Cameron Young, Quinnipiac (18.5 PPG)
2) Marvin Prochet, Niagara (17.9)
3) Davauhnte Turner, Saint Peter's (17.3)
4) Takal Molson, Canisius (17.1)
5) E.J. Crawford, Iona (16.8)
6) Evan Fisher, Siena (16.7)
7) Jalen Pickett, Siena (15.1)
8) Brian Parker, Marist (15.0)
9) Rickey McGill, Iona (14.6)
10) Landon Taliaferro, Fairfield (14.1)

Rebounding Leaders
1) Kevin Marfo, Quinnipiac (9.3 RPG)
2) Marvin Prochet, Niagara (8.9)
3) Jonathan Kasibabu, Fairfield (7.3)
4) Evan Fisher, Siena (7.2)
5) Tajuan Agee, Iona (6.9)
6) Dominic Robb, Niagara (6.4)
7) Frederick Scott, Rider (6.2)
8) Isaiah Reese, Canisius (6.1)
9) Quinn Taylor, Saint Peter's (5.7)
10) Kevin Degnan, Siena (5.6)

Assist Leaders
1) Jalen Pickett, Siena (7.3 APG)
2) Rickey McGill, Iona (5.6)
3) James Towns, Niagara (4.8)
4) Stevie Jordan, Rider (4.2)
5) Neftali Alvarez, Fairfield (3.8)
6) Brian Parker, Marist (3.7)
7) Isaiah Reese, Canisius (3.6)
8) Davauhnte Turner, Saint Peter's (3.1)
9) Malik Johnson, Canisius (2.9)
10) Dallas Watson, Saint Peter's (2.8)

Field Goal Percentage Leaders
1) Dominic Robb, Niagara (.545)
2) Evan Fisher, Siena (.543)
3) Jonathan Kasibabu, Fairfield (.538)
4) Warren Williams, Manhattan (.517)
5) Samuel Idowu, Saint Peter's (.516)
6) Stevie Jordan, Rider (.515)
7) E.J. Crawford, Iona (.500)
8) Isaiah Lamb, Marist (.478)
9) Frederick Scott, Rider (.474)
10) Brian Parker, Marist (.472)

Free Throw Percentage Leaders
1) James Towns, Niagara (.837)
2) Davauhnte Turner, Saint Peter's (.796)
3) E.J. Crawford, Iona (.790)
4) Diago Quinn, Monmouth (.778)
5) Takal Molson, Canisius (.769)
6) Rickey McGill, Iona (.767)
7) Asante Gist, Iona (.763)
8) Cameron Young, Quinnipiac (.756)
9) Dominic Robb, Niagara (.744)
10) Ray Salnave, Monmouth (.736)

Three-Point Field Goal Percentage Leaders
1) Andrija Ristanovic, Iona (.500)
2) Landon Taliaferro, Fairfield (.472)
3) Isaiah Lamb, Marist (.439)
4) Marvin Prochet, Niagara (.429)
5) Tyler Reynolds, Manhattan (.414)
6) Felix Lemetti, Fairfield (.413)
7) E.J. Crawford, Iona (.408)
8) David Knudsen, Marist (.407)
9) Frederick Scott, Rider (.406)
10) Kevin Degnan, Siena (.405)

Steal Leaders
1) Rickey McGill, Iona (2.5 SPG)
2) Jalen Pickett, Siena (1.9)
3) Kimar Williams, Rider (1.9)
4) Stevie Jordan, Rider (1.8)
T-5) Isaiah Reese, Canisius (1.7)
T-5) Cameron Young, Quinnipiac (1.7)

Blocked Shot Leaders
1) Dominic Robb, Niagara (3.2 BPG)
2) Samuel Idowu, Saint Peter's (1.6)
3) KC Ndefo, Saint Peter's (1.4)
4) Marvin Prochet, Niagara (0.8)
5) Kevin Degnan, Siena (0.8)

Power Rankings
1) Rider (7-7, 2-0 MAAC)
Last Week: 2
Last Game: Saturday 1/5 vs. Quinnipiac (W 72-67)
Next Game: Friday 1/11 at Canisius, 7 p.m.

T-2) Canisius (5-8, 2-0 MAAC)
Last Week: 3
Last Game: Saturday 1/5 at Siena (W 70-66)
Next Game: Tuesday 1/8 vs. Brown, 7 p.m.

T-2) Iona (4-9, 2-0 MAAC)
Last Week: 5
Last Game: Saturday 1/5 vs. Fairfield (W 94-87)
Next Game: Friday 1/11 at Niagara, 7 p.m.

4) Quinnipiac (6-7, 1-1 MAAC)
Last Week: 7
Last Game: Saturday 1/5 at Rider (L 72-67)
Next Game: Thursday 1/10 vs. Monmouth, 7 p.m.

5) Marist (5-8, 0-1 MAAC)
Last Week: 6
Last Game: Thursday 1/3 vs. Canisius (L 75-72)
Next Game: Tuesday 1/8 vs. Manhattan, 7 p.m.

6) Niagara (7-7, 0-1 MAAC)
Last Week: 1
Last Game: Saturday 1/5 at Manhattan (L 90-80)
Next Game: Monday 1/7 at Fairfield, 7 p.m.

7) Manhattan (3-11, 1-1 MAAC)
Last Week: 10
Last Game: Saturday 1/5 vs. Niagara (W 90-80)
Next Game: Tuesday 1/8 at Marist, 7 p.m.

8) Fairfield (3-11, 0-2 MAAC)
Last Week: 8
Last Game: Saturday 1/5 at Iona (L 94-87)
Next Game: Monday 1/7 vs. Niagara, 7 p.m.

9) Siena (5-10, 0-2 MAAC)
Last Week: 4
Last Game: Saturday 1/5 vs. Canisius (L 70-66)
Next Game: Friday 1/11 at Marist, 7 p.m.

10) Monmouth (2-13, 1-1 MAAC)
Last Week: 11
Last Game: Saturday 1/5 vs. Saint Peter's (W 61-44)
Next Game: Thursday 1/10 at Quinnipiac, 7 p.m.

11) Saint Peter's (4-10, 1-1 MAAC)
Last Week: 9
Last Game: Saturday 1/5 at Monmouth (L 61-44)
Next Game: Thursday 1/10 at Fairfield, 7 p.m.