BRIDGEPORT, CT – Monmouth University Men's Basketball limited Fairfield University to just 49 points and got a career-high 16 points from Mustapha Traore (Philadelphia, PA/Phelps School) in beating the Stags on Saturday afternoon at Webster Bank Arena, 61-49. MU now leads the MAAC with nine total wins, and have moved into first place in the league at 9-4, 10-16 overall while Fairfield falls to 4-9, 7-18 for the season.

Traore scored eight straight points out of the locker room, including a ferocious fast break dunk to extend the Monmouth lead to 15. Melik Martin (York, PA/York Catholic) knocked in a wing triple to make it 45-29, the largest MU lead of the game at 14:01, a lead MU would keep in double digits until Jonathan Kasibabu's layup at 2:12 briefly cut it to nine before the Hawks closed out the 61-49 win.

After Fairfield jumped to a quick 7-0 lead, the Hawks tied it at 12 on Louie Pillari's (Tinton Falls, NJ/Christian Brothers Academy) straight-on three. The Blue and White then pieced together an 11-2 run, getting five points from Ray Salnave (Elmont, NY/Benjamin N. Cardozo) and a dunk from Pillari to extend the lead to 10. Pillari made a pair of late free throws to send the Hawks into the locker room with a 13-point advantage. 

NOTES AND QUOTES
"This one's a credit to our kids. We've been guarding and we haven't done it on the road as much as we've done it at home but I told them at halftime that in a college game, if a team has 21 points, whatever you're doing, you're doing something right. I'm so proud of my kids and the part that I like right now is it's like all of a sudden we're starting to really play for each other. I'm starting to see the stuff we were always accustomed to with Monmouth Basketball teams, which is guys playing for the guy next to them." – Head Coach King Rice

-Monmouth moves into first place in the MAAC by a full game via today's win.
-MU has secured at least a .500 record in the MAAC.
-Mustapha Traore set a career high with 16 points. It is his sixth double-digit game of the season and eighth of his career.
-Traore's seven made field goals ties his career-high, set earlier this season at the Myrtle Beach Invitational against Valparaiso.
-Traore grabbed nine rebounds, the fifth time he has had at least that many in a game this season.
-Diago Quinn's nine rebounds is his second highest of the season, and his best since the OT win at Siena.
-Ray Salnave led the Hawks with 17 points, his first double-digit effort since MU's game at Canisius.
-MU limited Fairfield to 49 points, the third opponent MU has held under 50. 
-Monmouth limited Fairfield to 27.1% shooting and 15% from three, the best defensive effort on both for the Hawks this season.
-MU has now swept three MAAC opponents this season (Siena, Saint Peter's, Fairfield).

NUMBERS CRUNCH
-Monmouth outrebounded Fairfield 43-39.
-MU topped the Stags in the paint, 32-22.
-The Hawks allowed just 21 first-half points to Fairfield.
-The Hawks were 20 points better than Fairfield off the bench, outscoring them 33-13.
-Taj Benning led Fairfield with 12 points.

UP NEXT
-Monmouth is off until Friday night, when Monmouth will head to Rider to take on the Broncs at 7:00 p.m. The game will air on ESPN3 and the Watch ESPN app as well as on the radio via the Shore Sports Network.