Fairfield enacts revenge on Quinnipiac in instant MAAC classic

By Pete Janny (@pete_janny)

HAMDEN, Conn. — Any successful business trip on the road is a good feeling in college basketball. 

Fairfield had even more to play for Friday night against Quinnipiac, considering how things ended last time these two teams met on January 28, when Matt Balanc hit a game-winning layup with 3.5 seconds left to secure a huge road win for the Bobcats. Nearly three weeks later, Fairfield played like there was everything to lose and with a sense of urgency that led to a rousing 85-81 victory at M&T Bank Arena.

It was unfortunate that only one team would emerge victorious in this game after 40 minutes of captivating plays on both ends, as well as nine lead changes and six ties. The largest lead was nine points for Fairfield early on, and seven for Quinnipiac in the second half of a game Bobcats head coach Tom Pecora compared to an NBA game given the high level of shot making on display. There was also the fact the three-pointers rained all night, with Fairfield going 13-of-26 and Quinnipiac firing away at 15-of-33.

“In the first game, I think both teams were like two good fighters in a 12-round fight and they tried to feel each other out,” Fairfield head coach Chris Casey said about the sequel to the Stags’ 66-64 loss to Quinnipiac at Mahoney Arena. “In this game, both teams knew each other and went at each other.”

This game was too close to call for almost the full distance before the Fairfield guards found a different gear late. The four-headed monster of Jalen Leach, Caleb Fields, Jasper Floyd and Brycen Goodine carried the Stags like it has the whole season, and arguably had its best collective performance Friday on the biggest stage.

A late 7-1 run, made possible by a Goodine layup and three before setting up Louis Bleechmore for another basket inside, gave Fairfield a 76-70 lead with 2:32 left. The Stags, who have shot 75 percent on the season from the foul line as a team, never relinquished the lead from there and iced the game with a handful of free throws in the final minute. 

For the guards, this game was personal after falling victim to Balanc’s late heroics last month. Fields opened the game with two threes before Leach scored 13 of the Stags’ next 17 points. Their ability to beat Quinnipiac inside and out, and in Leach’s case, to draw fouls, was huge. Leach had a near flawless performance with 27 points, six rebounds, three assists on 4-of-6 shooting from three and 7-for-7 from the charity stripe. 

“We take those things personal,” Fields said about the matchup with Quinnipiac’s dynamic guards. “We know the preseason all-conference guys, and I believe every guard is a preseason all-conference player.”

On a night where Leach made his latest argument for MAAC Player of the Year, the Stags received big plays from Jasper Floyd down the stretch and had their spark plug in Goodine show up when needed by overcoming some missed shots. Not often does a team have a guy who scored 40 points in a game come off the bench, but Fairfield is far from an average team in the backcourt. 

“He’s such an unselfish player,” Leach said about Goodine. “Any other player may have pouted given his pedigree. He just has a very positive mindset, and for him, it doesn’t matter.”

That unselfishness is apparent just by how the Stags communicate with each other on the court and how they speak about each other off of it. The resilience is just as special, too. Fairfield trailed 47-40 at the 16:58 mark following a three from Amarri Tice, before responding with a 7-0 run to tie the score. Even after Tice tied the score at 39 on a last-second heave near the edge of the logo to beat the first half buzzer, a cool, calm, and collected Casey made enough adjustments in the second half to find success on both ends. Quinnipiac worked hard for their points and were forced into 14 turnovers by Fairfield, who also prevented the Bobcats from going to the line until the 3:08 mark of the second half. Quinnipiac ended with six free throw attempts, whereas Fairfield went 16-of-20 from the line. The disparity was not an indictment on the referees, but instead a testament to Fairfield’s ability to make Quinnipiac settle for long threes. 

“Our big men did a great job not fouling,” Leach said. “We did a great job keeping them in front of us and not fouling until the end.”

While Doug Young and his 17 points off the bench had the look of an unsung hero for Quinnipiac, Birima Seck flew under the radar for Fairfield. Seck played 25 minutes and had five rebounds, plus a career-high four steals. His minutes had outsized importance, with Casey only playing Alexis Yetna six minutes and Peyton Smith five. 

“It’s game to game,” Casey said about how he deploys his trio of bigs. “It’s the same thing with the guard spot and the small forward spot. We have multiple guys and I have confidence in all of them.”

Fairfield, now winners of 16 of their its 20 games, is only a half-game behind Quinnipiac in the MAAC standings and is the most healthy it has been all season. Casey has proven to be a boon for Fairfield’s fortunes as well. The veteran coach is not only a prime candidate for MAAC Coach of the Year, but has also proven he should be the leader of the Stags program going forward. Casey’s counterpart on Friday was handed a contract extension earlier this week for the resurgence that has taken place at Quinnipiac this season.

Both Casey and Pecora have each authored great stories this season with still more to be written. As for Casey, there is still much to be gained and lost for his chances of getting the full-time job as the calendar will soon turn to March. Still, none of that has taken away from Casey’s focus on his team and what his players mean to him and the entire Fairfield community.

“They’ve been through so much yet they still stay together,” Casey said. “They still work hard and still have a great approach and it’s helping them win games.”