FAIRFIELD, CONN – The MAAC playoffs are still well over a month away but Sunday afternoon’s rivalry game between Quinnipiac and Fairfield brought playoff energy that could very well be a preview for Atlantic City.
The Bobcats came away with a thrilling 66-64 victory in the Stags’ own house. Graduate guard Matt Balanc hit the game-winner with three-and-a-half seconds left, gathering the ball one-handed on his hip and weaving toward the basket for an underhanded finish. The win improved the Bobcats to 8-1 in the MAAC – the best conference start in program history.
“I’m just zoned in with whatever I need to do,” Balanc said after the game. “I’m trying to stay locked in and keep my teammates locked in as well.”
The final minutes of the second half showcased college basketball at its finest. Fairfield’s Jalen Leach stole the ball from Ri Vavers with 3:56 left, sprinted down the court and threw down a thunderous one-slam over Balanc to give the Stags a two-point lead.
Balanc responded and elevated from the baseline for a dunk of his own to knot things at 59. The Stags answered right back. Graduate guard Caleb Fields drained a three from the left wing with 3:15 left, giving Fairfield the three-point advantage.
“Caleb Fields is a grad student just like me,” Balanc said. “He was talking to me during the game… like chirping stuff. I’m like ‘alright, I see this is the type of game this is going to be’… they’re a very good team.”
Fields traded buckets with the Bobcats over the next minute later to make it 62-59. Then, with 1:52 on the clock, it was Vavers’ turn. The Latvian wing connected on an open three from the left side to re-tie the game. But still, Fairfield had an answer.
On the next possession, Leach sliced inside from the perimeter, colliding with Amarri Tice mid-air under the rim. Tice hit the ground hard and senior Brycen Goodine got the tip-on to fall.
Tice left the game with what head coach Tom Pecora said was “hopefully, a mild ankle sprain.”
64-62, Stags. 1:03 to play. Enter Matt Balanc.
“I know Matt Balanc is going to make plays,” Pecora said. “He had a bigger impact on the last two minutes than I did.”
Balanc tied it at 64 with an unreal finish inside, diving horizontally to his left side on the release. When the Bobcats put the ball back in his hands on the next possession, he delivered. Leach’s last-second three rimmed out harmlessly and the Bobcats escaped Fairfield with their 16th win. The game saw a whopping 13 lead changes; ten of them in the first half.
“It was a great MAAC basketball game,” Pecora said. “I’ve been going to MAAC basketball games since the 1980’s. It’s always been a tough competitive league.”
Balanc finished with 13 points and Tice scored 12. On the Stags’ side, four players finished with double-digit scoring. Leach and Fields both dropped 18 respectively.
The Bobcats will look to push their conference win streak to nine on Friday at Manhattan.
