Courtesy of FairfieldStags.com.
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – Derek Needham scored a team-high 13 points while Amadou Sidibe just missed a double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds to lift the Fairfield University men’s basketball team to a 62-46 win over the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee at Webster Bank Arena.
Six lead changes and a pair of ties were part of the first seven minutes of the game. The Stags opened the game with the first points off Maurice Barrow‘s layup, but Jordan Aaron gave the visitors their first lead with a three-point shot. A free throw followed by a jumper pushed the Milwaukee lead to four points, before five straight points put Fairfield back in front at 7-6 after Derek Needham‘s three-point play completed the run.
Jordan answered with a jumper from the top of the key to make it an 8-7 game but a three-point shot from Josip Mikulic regained the lead for Fairfield at 10-8. Paris Gulley tied the game at the 14:11 mark but Needham’s three-point basket gave the Stags a 13-10 edge at the 13:43 mark. Fairfield would not relinquish the lead from that point, building a first-half lead that reached seven points at 21-14 with 5:39 on the clock.
The Panthers cut that deficit back to two points by intermission with a 7-2 spurt that allowed the Stags to carry a 23-21 advantage into the locker room. Amadou Sidibe and Needham led all Fairfield scorers with six points each, while James Haarsma and Aaron paced the Panthers with six points each.
The second half belonged to the home team from the start as Fairfield started the period with eight straight points to quickly build a double-digit lead at 31-21 with just less than 16 minutes remaining in the game. Fairfield increased that lead quickly, taking a 17-point advantage with 11-plus minutes on the clock at 43-26. Desmond Wade scored six points during that 12-5 run, including one of his two three-point baskets.
The Fairfield lead reached as many as 21 points in the second half which came at 51-30 with 7:44 remaining. Milwaukee could come no closer than 14 points the rest of the way, hitting the mark for the last time at 60-46 with 1:39 remaining.
Maurice Barrow also reached double figures for the Stags with 10 points. Kyle Kelm tallied a double-double for the Panthers, registering 13 points and 14 rebounds in 37 minutes.
Fairfield returns to the court on Sunday when it hosts Drexel University at Webster Bank Arena. Game time is slated for 4 pm.
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