Final Stats

BRIDGEPORT, CONN. -- Fairfield opened both halves with big runs and led throughout in defeating Siena Basketball 76-69 at Webster Bank Arena. The Stags scored the first 10 points of the game and the initial eight points of the second half to draw even with the Saints for third place in the MAAC with one game remaining.

Junior forward Javion Ogunyemi scored 17 points and added eight rebounds for Siena (19-11, 12-7) which still controls its own destiny for the No. 3 seed in the MAAC Tournament despite back-to-back losses. The Saints hold the tiebreakers with their nearest competitors and would lock up the third seed with a win over Quinnipiac on Senior Day Sunday at the Times Union Center. Siena would drop to the No. 4 seed with a loss.

Tyler Nelson and Matija Milin led five Fairfield (18-11, 12-7) players in double figures with 16 points apiece for the upstart Stags which have won six straight. Marcus Gilbert added 12 points and seven rebounds for Fairfield which has assured itself of a top-5 seed after being predicted to finish eighth in the MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll.

Red-shirt junior captain Brett Bisping contributed his 12th double-double of the season with 16 points and 12 rebounds for Siena which held a 47-38 advantage on the glass. The Saints pulled down 23 offensive rebounds which fueled an 18-6 advantage in second chance points.

Fairfield shot 6-11 from distance in the first half and led by as many as 12 early on. But for the second straight game, freshman guard Kenny Wormley beat the first half buzzer with a three to rally the Saints within 39-32 at the break. Wormley finished with 11 points and a career-high eight rebounds in coming off the bench for the first time since November.

However the Stags' spurt to open the second half quickly built their advantage to 15 and they would go on to lead by as many as 17 points early in the stanza. Siena would battle back though with a 20-7 run over 9:21 to rally within a possession at 62-59 with 2:31 to go.

Siena would remain down three with a minute and a half to go, but Milin converted a three-point play and Nelson made two clutch free throws on the ensuing possession to put the Stags back up eight with 69 seconds to play.

After coming off the bench in his first two games back after missing the previous 15 with a stress fracture in his right foot, junior guard Marquis Wright tallied four points, four rebounds and five assists for the Saints in making his first start since Dec. 22. Wright shot 2-10 from the field for Siena which connected on just 35.2% of its attempts including only 6-25 (24%) from three-point range.

Siena concludes regular season action Sunday when they welcome the Bobcats to the Times Union Center. The team will honor seniors Ryan Oliver and Imoh Silas in a special pregame ceremony just prior to the 2 p.m. contest.