The battle for college basketball bragging rights in Fairfield fell short for the Sacred Heart University Pioneers as the Fairfield University Stags prevailed 70-54 on Tuesday, Nov. 18, at the Arena at Harbor Yard.

The Pioneers' attempt to "Bag a Stag," although well fought, was not enough to take home the victory. The loss dropped the Pioneers' record to 0-2 on the season, while Fairfield improved to 1-1.

"Obviously I don't think we played as well as we could have," said junior guard Corey Hassan. "We let their momentum get us down and we didn't have much momentum on offense. We need to pick it up if we want to get our first win [today]."

The battle not only took place on the court but in the stands as well, with fans cheering and heckling for both teams.

The rivalry was built up for weeks as both schools promoted the game to students, faculty, staff, and the Fairfield community.

The cheerleaders, band, and dance team also helped to liven the crowd and enhance the atmosphere at the Arena at Harbor Yard.

Despite the loss, the team received a strong effort from graduate student captain Joey Henley, who led the Pioneers with 18 points and seven rebounds.

Senior Ryon Howard scored 11 points on the night, including a first-half slam-dunk that energized the Pioneer faithful and brought the Pioneers to within three points of the Stags, 20-17.

The first half was a continuous back-and-forth battle, as both teams traded baskets throughout. It wasn't until midway through the half that Fairfield caught fire - a flame that the Pioneers couldn't put out.

For the second game in a row, the Pioneers were plagued by turnovers - committing 21 against the Stags.

"We turned the ball over twenty-one times," said Howard. "It's hard to win games when you're giving up shot opportunities by turning the ball over. Fairfield went on a couple runs and we never recovered, so that basically was our downfall."

Fairfield's Warren Edney led the Stags' balanced scoring attack with 14 points, while four other players scored in double figures for the Stags.

With Fairfield ahead by 12 points at the beginning of the second half, Henley and Hassan combined to put a quick five points on the scoreboard, but the Stags had an answer for every Pioneer basket.

The Stags increased their lead late in the second half as the Pioneers tried desperately to play catch-up, but time was just not on their side.

Even though the final result was not what the Pioneers were hoping for, they will put the loss behind them and regroup for tonight's game against Providence College.

"It hurts and it is a loss, but we know we've got to bounce back from it," said Henley. "We feel like we let our teammates down, let our coaches down, and obviously let the fans down because they really help us."

After the game, Pioneers head coach Dave Bike expressed disappointment in the Stags' ability to manhandle his team throughout the game.

"I think that Fairfield handled us and pushed us out of position, and that's not good," said Bike. "We need to be a little bit tougher with the ball, and when the other team gets involved as much as they got involved you need to be willing to work a little harder and a little longer. We can't settle for just anything, and that's what we did."

Bike was also quick to point out that the team's second-place preseason ranking means nothing when it comes time to play the games.

"I want to see more from the overall team," said Bike. "Everyone says that we have talent, but what does talent mean? Talent gets the job done. The biggest thing is how that talent blends and how the guys complement each other."

For details on the team's season opener see Men's Hoops on page 14...