OMAHA, Neb. - Anthony Johnson scored a game-high 19 points and added seven rebounds as the Fairfield University men's basketball team saw its season come to an end with a 73-55 setback to Creighton University in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament quarterfinals.
The Stags played catch-up for most of the game, only holding two leads in the game. Despite the 18-point final margin, Fairfield was in this game until the final minutes when Creighton pulled away at the free throw line. The Bluejays scored their final 15 points from the line, and missed just one charity toss in the closing minutes.
Creighton opened up a six-point lead early in the game at 10-4, and kept Fairfield just at bay for most of the opening 20 minues. Down 14-9 with 12:17 on the clock, the Stags put together one of its two more successful runs with an 8-2 run that resulted in a 17-16 lead with eight minutes on the clock. Johnson scored four points during the run while Lyndon Jordan and Derek Needham each added a basket.
The Bluejays retook the lead on the their next possession when Kenny Lawson Jr. connected on a jumper for an 18-17 lead. Josh Jones followed up with a three-point shot that pushed the lead to four points less than a minute removed from the Stags lead. The home eam continued to build its lead until it settled for a seven-point halftime lead at 32-25.
The second half started well for the Stags as they opened with a 9-2 run that tied the game at 34-34. Needham sparked the rally with back-to-back three-point shots that cut a nine-point lead to three points at 34-31. Fairfield continued to pressure the Bluejays which ended with the visitors taking the lead once against at 38-37 after Needham made a jumper with 13:55 remaining.
Creighton scored the next eight points to regain the lead at 45-38, the big shot coming off a three-point shot from Antoine Young. The Stags came no closer than five points the rest of the way.
Needham finished the game with 15 points and five assists, while Lyndon Jordan just missed a double-double with eight points and a career-high 10 rebounds. Lawson Jr. led all Creighton scorers with 17 points, and Justin Carter added a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Fairfield finished the season with a 23-11 record, the second most wins in school history.