Stags scorch nets, roll past Marist in 2022 finale

TJ Long drives inside for two of game-high 25 points as Fairfield toppled Marist in return to MAAC play. (Photo by Olivia Frzop/Fairfield Athletics)

FAIRFIELD, Conn. — Through a start that saw losses in six of its first eight games, Fairfield was in need of a confidence boost and a chance to get itself right going into Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play.

And in its last chance to do so in 2022, Jay Young’s roster closed out the calendar year on the highway if possible notes.

Using Young’s defensive blueprint to fuel their offense, the Stags’ viselike grip on Marist through the final nine minutes of the first half and opening five minutes after the intermission, and the sensational shooting of TJ Long, triggered a 24-4 run that bridged the two stanzas and provided Fairfield all the separation it would need in a 73-54 takedown of the Red Foxes Friday inside Mahoney Arena.

“I was proud of the way we defended tonight, more than anything,” Young remarked as the Stags captured their fourth victory in their last five contests. “The shots went in, which is great to see, but from start to finish for the most part, I was kind of proud of our defense. We really created some easy baskets for ourselves with our defense, so that was good to see.”

“It was good to see our offense get going a little bit. We’ve been struggling, and I know TJ’s happy to make some shots. We’ve just been telling all those guys, ‘keep shooting.’ Tonight, he did.”

For Long, whose 25 points on 10-of-18 shooting and five 3-pointers contributed to a long-desired breakout game, the explosion felt almost like the removal of an albatross that had weighed on him through the majority of non-conference play.

“It feels good, finally,” Long proclaimed. “The first month, month-and-a-half was rough, but I came in and just tried to bring some energy, I got a few easy baskets off the defensive end first, and then the threes just started going down. My teammates found me in good spots, and I was able to hit some shots tonight.”

His coach, who has always held Long out to be more of a scorer than a shooter, found relief in his sophomore guard’s outing as well, but in a different form.

“The good thing is I won’t get a text tonight from someone about why the guards aren’t making any shots,” Young quipped.

Fairfield (6-7, 2-1 MAAC) opened the game chasing Marist, as the Red Foxes’ efficient shooting and willingness to attack the basket with freshman point guard Isaiah Brickner and senior big man Patrick Gardner contributed to a seven-point lead for the visitors. But the deft touch and ball movement fell off in the midst of the Stags’ stifling defense, prompting John Dunne to chalk up the experience to growing pains and a lesson the veteran coach can use as a teaching moment for a young team later this season.

“I thought we had good control of the game early,” he admitted. “They picked up their intensity and their pressure, and our offense kind of fell apart a little bit. We gave them a lot of life off our bad offense and their good defense, and the second half, they were just the better team tonight. We have to learn how to have poise through the high-intensity moments.”

“We were a little deflated at halftime and we were only down four points. You should have really good spirit in that moment, and we didn’t. Just having poise under pressure is really the big key. It’s a learning curve for all of us.”

Fairfield will also be no stranger to pressure to open 2023, as the Stags welcome a Siena team onto its campus looking for a Connecticut sweep following Friday’s win over Quinnipiac, as well as a 3-0 start to league play, something Young already cautioned as to its side effects.

“You know this league,” Young said of MAAC play. “It’s 18 root canals we’ve got starting tonight, and we’ve already had two. Every game’s gonna be a fistfight, every game is a war. This league is brutal, brutal on your health, brutal on everything else. We know we’re going to get a good Siena team that’s very well-prepared, and we’re going to have to play well to beat them.”