By Paul Casey Gotham
BUFFALO, NY — Two teams handed opposing pre-season expectations. One looking to the post-season. The other rebuilding. Thirty minutes on the hardwood clouded the difference.
Derek Needham and Rakim Sanders led the way as the Fairfield Stags fought off a game Canisius Golden Griffin squad, 68-59 in MAAC action at the Koessler Athletic Center, Sunday.
The pair led the Stags with 19 apiece as Needham scored 11 in the game’s final ten minutes while Sanders handed out four assists during those closing moments.
After the Golden Griffins turned what was once a double-digit deficit into a single-possession affair, Needham responded with a three-pointer when Sanders drew the defense and dished to the 5’11” junior. The duo combined at the other end in a double team as Sanders stripped the ball and led Needham into the open court to help the Stags gain separation.
“We were as resilient as they were,” Fairfield head coach Sidney Johnson said. “As they got a little bit of momentum, our guys just kind of swelled up and said hey we are going to withstand that.”
Fairfield jumped to an early 10-point advantage when Ryan Olander kicked a pass out from the post to Needham in the left corner for a catch-and-shoot jumper.
Canisius responded.
Alshwan Hymes connected on a pull-up three from the top of the key. After a defensive stop, Chris Manhertz grabbed an offensive rebound and sent a relocation pass to Harold Washington who continued the ball Hymes for another trey.
The Griffs continued the surge. Sanders blocked a Reggie Groves layup, but Gaby Belardo gathered the loose ball and quickly found Manhertz open under the basket, and the Griffs trailed 16-14.
Olander and Sanders teamed for a six-point run. Olander finished in the post on a pass from Desmond Wade. After Wade went end-to-end for a layup, Sanders grabbed his own rebound and drew contact before hitting two free throws.
By the time Jamel Fields grabbed a long rebound and led Sanders for a slam, Fairfield led 34-24.
But the Blue and Gold would not go away.
Washington drove the lane and connected with an acrobatic lay up. After hitting from the charity stripe, Canisius trailed by seven.
One trip later, Washington found Manhertz for another deuce.
A Kevin Bleeker free throw closed the gap to four at 34-30 before halftime.
“It was a classy effort by Canisius,” Johnson continued. “They certainly didn’t quit.”
“We did a lot of good defensively,” Canisius coach Tom Parrotta commented. “We outrebounded them. We pounded them on the offensive glass.”
Eighteen Canisius turnovers led to 23 Fairfield points and spelled the difference in the game. The Stags used a variety of defenses showing odd and even front looks with both full and three-quarter court presses causing the Griffs to lose rhythm offensively. In the half court, the Stags generated most of their turnovers when forwards jumped the ball 35-40 feet from the basket.
“When we give them so many extra possessions because of our turnovers,” Parrotta noted. “That’s something we have to get under control.”
Maurice Barrow nailed a pull up jumper in the lane to give the Stags their largest lead of the second stanza at 41-32.
Again, the Griffs battled back.
The Canisius 1-3-1 defense created a steal, and Bleeker led Washington for a layup.
Then Washington corralled a long rebound, attacked the basket and used the rim as a shield coming out on the other side for a bucket. After a free throw, Canisius trailed46-39.
The defense created another steal and a 3-on-1 where Belardo fed Washington for a basket.
Bleeker found Washington open on the baseline for two more. Then the 6’10” Bleeker relocated the ball from the post to Belardo for a three from the right corner. Bleeker made it a three-point game when he nailed a jumper from the right corner. A Groves free throw made it a one-possession game before Needham and Sanders took charge.
The loss overshadowed the first career double-double for Manhertz. After grabbing a then career-high 10 boards and scoring five points versus Iona on Friday, the the 6’6″ forward pulled down 12 rebounds and scored 13 against the Stags. Manhertz averaged 1.3 points and 2.7 rebounds in 21 games a year ago.
“I still need to stay more aggressive,” Manhertz said when asked to evaluate his play. “Often times I get rattled a little bit. I need to maintain my composure throughout late game situations.”
Washington led all scorers with 24. Hymes chipped in 11.
Sanders also notched a double-double getting 10 rebounds to go with 19 points and a game-high five assists. Barrow added 12 points for the Stags.
With the win, Fairfield improves to 41-31 in the all-time series that dates back to the 1962-63 season.
Canisius hosts South Dakota on Thursday at the Koessler while Old Dominion pays a visit to the Stags on Friday.
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