MAAC Monday returns with a closer look at one of the hottest teams in the nation, let alone the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, and what has changed to ignite the turnaround. From that team spotlight, a new round of quick hits across the conference is presented, followed by stat leaders and power rankings.
Fairfield was projected as one of the top teams in the MAAC going into one of the more unpredictable conference seasons in recent memory. With senior leadership in the backcourt present in the form of Caleb Fields and Brycen Goodine, coupled with the late addition of Seton Hall transfer Alexis Yetna, plus fellow newcomers Louis Bleechmore and Birima Seck, the Stags were thought of as a trendy pick to rise above the uncertainty before their season tipped off against Boston College on November 6.
However, Fairfield began the year with an unexpected dose of adversity, as Jay Young stepped down as head coach several weeks before the season started. In his stead, Chris Casey — formerly the head coach at Niagara before joining Young’s staff in 2019 — took over and tapped into the Stags’ potential on the offensive end, which had previously been a complement to the defense-oriented stylings of Young.
To make matters worse, Seck and Yetna were both injured to start the year, with the latter still having yet to make his Fairfield debut now almost halfway through the MAAC season. On top of that, Fields nursed a hamstring injury in the early part of the non-conference slate, while Jalen Leach was still returning to top form following injuries that shelved him for most of his first two years in the Nutmeg State.
After a 1-6 start to the year, Fairfield got its full contingent — minus Yetna — back, and the results have been transformational. Since a December 1 loss to Iona, the Stags have won 11 of 12, the lone blemish a January 12 loss at Niagara in which the Purple Eagles torched the nets en route to 96 points. Even more noticeable has been the manner in which Fairfield has dictated the tenor of its performances, as the Stags have not surrendered a lead in the second half in each of their last eight victories.
“We’re just figuring out ways to win,” Leach said following Friday’s takedown of a Saint Peter’s team previously undefeated in conference play. “We’re very active on defense and it took us a while to get into it, but once we figured out how to win and how to play together, we knew we were going to turn the season around. We definitely have a lot of confidence in each other. We know our spots, where everybody can thrive at. We always look for each other and we have a lot of confidence in us scoring the ball, and then defending on the other end.”
“They’ve got five guys on the court that can score,” Saint Peter’s head coach Bashir Mason said of the Stags. “I think they’re really poised and under the control every time down the floor. They know exactly what they’re looking for, what they want to do, and they’re going to win and lose that way. You’re not going to make them play a different way.”
It is Fairfield’s versatility that makes the Stags a notoriously difficult matchup and an even harder team to prepare for. Of the eight players in Casey’s rotation, three are double-figure scorers, with another three averaging at least eight points per game for an outfit that boasts the second-best scoring offense in the MAAC, trailing only in-state rival Quinnipiac.
“We’ve got different guys on different nights if you look at our team,” Casey observed. “Brycen can have a night, Jalen can have a night, the next night, Caleb can have a night, Louie can have a night, Peyton (Smith) can do some different things. Their numbers might not jump out at you in terms of points, but we have a team with different guys on different nights, and I think that helps us.”
Leach, by virtue of his recent hot streak that has come after Goodine lit up the scoreboard for 40 points against Siena and Fields had several star turns earlier in the year, has now blossomed into the Stags’ leading scorer, a testimonial to the work he has continued to put in to get back to 100 percent, a journey of determination that is paying dividends for Fairfield as it climbs the MAAC ladder.
“You look at his numbers and he’s had outstanding numbers throughout the year,” Casey said of Leach. “I’m really happy for him that he’s getting to be Jalen. He’s had to fight through so much at the beginning of his career just to get healthy and get on the court, and to see him have so much fun playing and to see him just love to play and be able to do what he does, it’s fun to watch. I’m just really happy for him.”
Despite the numerous circumstances beyond their control attempting to befall the Stags, the unified front of the roster is as resilient as ever, a key going into a gauntlet of sorts to close out the first half of MAAC play. After a meeting with Quinnipiac on Sunday that could perhaps determine first place in the conference, Fairfield then heads to Iona for a pivotal road battle with the Gaels before hosting Manhattan and Rider, concluding the stretch with a rematch against Saint Peter’s on February 10 in Jersey City. Regardless of what awaits, Casey’s group remains laser-focused, not letting anything stand in its way on its quest to win the program’s first conference championship since 1997.
“I think the thing these guys continued to do is they keep their attitude great,” Casey gushed. “They keep their togetherness great, they keep their competitive spirit great. Nothing damages their spirit, nothing that you throw at them. That’s what’s making them win. They stay together and they compete, and nothing breaks their spirit.”
Quick Hits Around the MAAC
“He’s special. The leadership we get with him and Savion Lewis in the backcourt, two veterans, is so important. College basketball’s driven by guard play and they’ve been in so many situations and they’ve done so many good things.”
— Tom Pecora on Matt Balanc
“Give credit to Coach Pecora and Quinnipiac, they were the more physical, hungrier team, they had better energy and they won the game. We have to continually work to keep teams off the glass, (giving up) 18 offensive rebounds isn’t gonna help us get it done.”
— Carmen Maciariello on Siena’s rebounding issues
“We come out of timeouts (and) we don’t do what we’re supposed to do. We have too many broken assignments. Our basketball IQs have to get better. The things we do in the game in key moments (are) not good.”
— Kevin Baggett on Rider’s struggles this season
“It wasn’t perfect, but we continue to play and fight and stay together. I’m really proud of how the guys finished it. For us, the more balanced we are, the better we are offensively.”
— Greg Paulus after Niagara’s win Friday at Rider
“We created a motto, do or die. You either do it, or you suffer the consequences coming with a loss. It’s not easy consequences, so we don’t want to do anything much harder than we have to do. Let’s do it right. That’s kind of how we just changed it.”
— Greg Gordon on Iona’s adjustment to mistakes
“For a long spurt, especially in the second half, I thought we were getting stops we needed to get, but we didn’t convert offensively. My real takeaway is this is the first time in a while the ball didn’t bounce our way, and I didn’t see guys hanging their heads. I saw a fight and resilience I’m super proud of. We’ll break down this film for sure, and this will definitely be a learning moment for us.”
— Bashir Mason on Saint Peter’s loss at Fairfield
“They’re not really a gap team, so I knew I had a lot of driving lanes. I knew I could use my size to my advantage just driving and making plays like that, and this game definitely gave me a lot of confidence for sure.”
— Jalen Leach on his career-high 29 points on Fairfield’s win over Saint Peter’s on Friday
“Going with the four guards for a good stretch of the game really, really helped us against that team. I thought that was really needed in that game.”
— Chris Casey on Fairfield’s matchup with Saint Peter’s
“I think the biggest thing he’s done is his conditioning has gotten really good compared to what it was two months ago. And that’s him. We stress running the floor in practice and we stress getting up and down. We told him, ‘hey, you’re gonna have to run to get better,’ and that’s what he did. He got himself in great shape, and I think that’s helped his game tremendously. I’ve got a lot of confidence in him. He does a lot of good things for us.”
— Casey on Fairfield freshman Peyton Smith
“We just didn’t guard the ball. They drove by us, they scored when they wanted to. Games like that, you put away with your defense, and we just kind of let them hang around and make shots. Tough loss.”
— Tobin Anderson on Iona allowing a game-ending 19-3 run to Quinnipiac
“Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good, man. Good hands by Matt, and Noah (Harris) was wide open too if the pass was a little higher, but we were real fortunate. Great finish by Matt to come in and be able to give us that, especially after Max (Allen) goes down. We’ve had the injury bug, but the guys are sticking with it, man. We’re persevering.”
— John Dunne on Matt McCool’s game-winning layup for Marist on Sunday against Siena
“Truly, I didn’t think the pass was to me, but I just saw the ball, my instincts took over, and I tried to catch it.”
— McCool on his game-winning layup
“We play hard, (but) we have to be able to play a little smarter, right? I thought we had some untimely turnovers. At the end of the day, we didn’t finish the game. Credit to Marist.”
— Maciariello after Siena's loss at Marist
“We have guys that are playing extended minutes and I know they gave great effort. It’s a matter of building the endurance necessary to sustain that effort.”
— Reggie Witherspoon on Canisius’ short rotation
“We only got four threes up and (Niagara) shot the heck out of it. I thought they were the more physical and well-coached team, (Greg Paulus) had them ready to go. Our defense wasn’t there.”
— Dan Engelstad on Mount St. Mary's loss to Niagara Sunday
Scoring Leaders
1) Mervin James, Rider (19.1 PPG)
2) Matt Balanc, Quinnipiac (18.7)
3) Dakota Leffew, Mount St. Mary’s (17.8)
4) Tre Dinkins, Canisius (15.2)
5) Corey Washington, Saint Peter’s (14.7)
6) Jalen Leach, Fairfield (14.6)
7) Ahmad Henderson, Niagara (14.4)
8) Caleb Fields, Fairfield (14.4)
9) Idan Tretout, Iona (14.3)
10) Siem Uijtendaal, Canisius (13.8)
Rebounding Leaders
1) Frank Mitchell, Canisius (10.7 RPG)
2) Seydou Traore, Manhattan (9.3)
3) Harlan Obioha, Niagara (7.8)
4) Amarri Tice, Quinnipiac (7.1)
5) Paul Otieno, Quinnipiac (6.9)
6) Mervin James, Rider (6.7)
T-7) Michael Houge, Saint Peter’s (6.3)
T-7) Tariq Ingraham, Rider (6.3)
9) Greg Gordon, Iona (6.2)
10) T.J. Weeks, Rider (6.2)
Assist Leaders
1) Savion Lewis, Quinnipiac (7.6 APG)
2) Jasper Floyd, Fairfield (4.8)
3) Latrell Reid, Saint Peter’s (4.5)
4) Jaden Winston, Manhattan (4.4)
5) Tre Dinkins, Canisius (4.0)
6) Dakota Leffew, Mount St. Mary's (3.9)
7) Zek Tekin, Siena (3.6)
8) Corey McKeithan, Rider (3.4)
9) Luke Bumbalough, Niagara (3.3)
10) Joel Brown, Iona (3.3)
Field Goal Percentage Leaders
1) Paul Otieno, Quinnipiac (.599)
2) Frank Mitchell, Canisius (.580)
3) Harlan Obioha, Niagara (.578)
4) Max Allen, Marist (.568)
T-5) Giovanni Emejuru, Siena (.543)
T-5) Daniel Rouzan, Manhattan (.543)
7) Greg Gordon, Iona (.540)
8) De’Shayne Montgomery, Mount St. Mary’s (.526)
9) Braxton Bayless, Niagara (.515)
10) Bryce Okpoh, Canisius (.513)
Free Throw Percentage Leaders
1) Jalen Leach, Fairfield (.923)
2) Matt Balanc, Quinnipiac (.901)
3) Roy Clarke, Saint Peter’s (.882)
4) Braxton Bayless, Niagara (.857)
5) Ahmad Henderson, Niagara (.852)
6) Caleb Fields, Fairfield (.848)
7) Jeremiah Quigley, Iona (.842)
8) Jasper Floyd, Fairfield (.837)
9) Tre Dinkins, Canisius (.833)
10) Corey Washington, Saint Peter’s (.819)
3-Point Field Goal Percentage Leaders
1) Brycen Goodine, Fairfield (.495)
2) Briggs McClain, Manhattan (.441)
3) Randy Tucker, Niagara (.429)
4) Luke Bumbalough, Niagara (.396)
5) Ahmad Henderson, Niagara (.390)
6) Caleb Fields, Fairfield (.389)
7) Siem Uijtendaal, Canisius (.384)
8) Noah Harris, Marist (.375)
9) Tre Dinkins, Canisius (.374)
T-10) Matt Balanc, Quinnipiac (.370)
T-10) Amarri Tice, Quinnipiac (.370)
Steal Leaders
1) Jasper Floyd, Fairfield (2.3 SPG)
2) De’Shayne Montgomery, Mount St. Mary’s (2.1)
3) Jaden Winston, Manhattan (2.0)
4) Amarri Tice, Quinnipiac (1.9)
5) Joel Brown, Iona (1.9)
Blocked Shot Leaders
1) Killian Gribben, Siena (1.4 BPG)
2) Seydou Traore, Manhattan (1.4)
3) Amarri Tice, Quinnipiac (1.2)
4) Jaden Daughtry, Marist (1.2)
5) Paul Otieno, Quinnipiac (1.1)
1) Quinnipiac (14-4, 6-1 MAAC)
Last Week: 2
Last Game: Sunday 1/21 vs. Iona (W 91-87)
Next Game: Thursday 1/25 vs. Mount St. Mary’s, 7:30 p.m.
2) Fairfield (12-7, 6-2 MAAC)
Last Week: 3
Last Game: Sunday 1/21 at Manhattan (W 82-75)
Next Game: Sunday 1/28 vs. Quinnipiac, 2 p.m.
3) Saint Peter’s (10-6, 6-1 MAAC)
Last Week: 1
Last Game: Sunday 1/21 vs. Canisius (W 70-59)
Next Game: Thursday 1/25 vs. Rider, 7 p.m.
4) Niagara (9-9, 5-3 MAAC)
Last Week: 5
Last Game: Sunday 1/21 at Mount St. Mary’s (W 82-71)
Next Game: Friday 1/26 vs. Marist, 7 p.m.
5) Marist (9-7, 4-3 MAAC)
Last Week: 4
Last Game: Sunday 1/21 vs. Siena (W 50-48)
Next Game: Friday 1/26 at Niagara, 7 p.m.
6) Iona (8-10, 3-4 MAAC)
Last Week: 6
Last Game: Sunday 1/21 at Quinnipiac (L 91-87)
Next Game: Friday 1/26 at Siena, 7 p.m.
7) Mount St. Mary’s (7-11, 3-4 MAAC)
Last Week: 7
Last Game: Sunday 1/21 vs. Niagara (L 82-71)
Next Game: Thursday 1/25 at Quinnipiac, 7:30 p.m.
8) Rider (5-13, 2-5 MAAC)
Last Week: 9
Last Game: Friday 1/19 vs. Niagara (L 78-74)
Next Game: Thursday 1/25 at Saint Peter’s, 7 p.m.
9) Canisius (7-10, 2-6 MAAC)
Last Week: 8
Last Game: Sunday 1/21 at Saint Peter’s (L 70-59)
Next Game: Friday 1/26 vs. Manhattan, 7 p.m.
10) Siena (3-15, 2-5 MAAC)
Last Week: 11
Last Game: Sunday 1/21 at Marist (L 50-48)
Next Game: Friday 1/26 vs. Iona, 7 p.m.
11) Manhattan (4-12, 1-6 MAAC)
Last Week: 10
Last Game: Sunday 1/21 vs. Fairfield (L 82-75)
Next Game: Friday 1/26 at Canisius, 7 p.m.
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