Saints set for Saturday night showdown with Fairfield

Albany, NY — The last time the Fairfield men’s basketball team took the hardwood at the Times Union Center during a regular season game, was also the last time the Siena College men’s basketball team had five players score double-digit points.

On Thursday, January 7, 2016, Ryan Oliver, Brett Bisping, Javion Ogunyemi, Lavon Long and Nico Clareth all reached double digits in a 91-76 win over the Stags. Later that same season, the Stags got the last laugh sneaking past Siena 76-69 on their home floor, setting the stage for Saturday’s evening date back at the TU Center.

“They play up and down,” Siena head coach Jimmy Patsos told Michael Kelly of the Schenectady Gazette earlier this week about the boys from Fairfield, CT.

As of Thursday, the Stags lead the Metro Atlantic Athletics Conference (MAAC) in three slots in the stat book, overall record (5-1), MAAC record (1-0), and field goal percentage (47.2%). While junior guard Tyler Nelson is slated at second in the MAAC for points per game at 20.7, but Siena’s Marquis Wright is in hot pursuit in third with 19.3.

As a team, Fairfield enters the matchup averaging a mere 0.8 points per game higher than Siena, at 74.4 per game, If that tells us anything expect an exciting battle in the Saint’s first game back to the area since dropping the annual Albany Cup game this past Sunday at UAlbany.

Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m. Saturday at the Times Union Center and can be heard over the airwaves on Talk 1300 (WGDJ/AM). Additionally, Robert Lee and legendary local broadcaster Tom Huerter will have the call across New York state on Time Warner Cable Sports Channel and around the country on ESPN 3.

-Dylan Rossiter(@ByDylanRossiter)