Fairfield (2-12, 2-7) vs. Marist (7-4, 5-4)
McCann Center, Poughkeepsie, New York; Saturday, 5 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Fairfield seeks revenge on Marist after dropping the first matchup in Poughkeepsie. The teams last played each other on Jan. 15, when the Red Foxes shot 56 percent from the field while holding Fairfield to just 40.7 percent en route to a 10-point victory.
TALE OF TWO ROSTERS: Fairfield has been fueled by senior leadership this year while Marist has relied on freshmen. For the Stags, seniors Taj Benning, Jesus Cruz and Caleb Green have collectively scored 48 percent of the team’s points this season. In the other locker room, freshmen Jordan Jones, Ricardo Wright and Hakim Byrd have combined to account for 45 percent of Marist’s scoring this season and 48 percent of the team’s points over its last five games.
DEFENSIVE IMPROVEMENTS: The Stags have allowed only 68.8 points per game across nine conference games, an improvement from the 74.2 per game they allowed over five non-conference games.TERRIFIC TAJ: Benning has connected on 35.5 percent of the 62 3-pointers he’s attempted and has made 7 of 29 over his last five games. He’s also converted 87.5 percent of his foul shots this season.
SLIPPING AT 66: Fairfield is 0-12 when it allows at least 66 points and 2-0 when it holds opponents to less than 66.
PERFECT WHEN: Marist is a perfect 7-0 when it holds an opponent to 67 points or fewer. The Red Foxes are 0-4 when opponents score more than 67 points.
BALL SECURITY: Fairfield’s offense has turned the ball over 12.6 times per game this year, but is averaging 8.2 turnovers over its last five games.
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