GAME NOTES: In Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference action, the Iona Gaels will host the Fairfield Stags this evening at the Hynes Athletics Center. It has been a rough year for the Stags, who enter this evening in the midst of a two- game losing skid. The last time Fairfield was on the court the team suffered a hard-fought 77-70 setback to Marist. Oddly enough, Fairfield has played better on the road. In fact, four of the team's five victories have occurred away from the Arena at Harbor Yards. As for the Gaels, they snapped a five-game losing skid with a convincing, 69-50 win over Saint Peter's. It was just the second conference win for Iona, which is near the bottom of the standings of the MAAC. The Gaels only have six victories on the season, but four of those wins have come at home. The Stags have won nine of the last 11 meetings with Iona, but the Gaels still hold a strong, 51-36 edge in the all-time series.

As long as the Stags continue to struggle offensively the team will have trouble collecting wins. As of right now, Fairfield is producing a mere 63.3 ppg, and is shooting just 41.0 percent from the floor. Jonathan Han is the only player on the roster for Fairfield who is averaging double figures, as the guard is posting 11.2 ppg. The last time Fairfield was on the court, the team suffered a seven-point loss to Marist. In the setback, the Stags did shoot over 40.0 percent from the field, but made only 3-of-18 attempts from long range. Herbie Allen led the way with 19 points in the loss, while Anthony Johnson added 16 points to go along with nine rebounds. As for Han, he finished with only six points in 38 minutes of action.

The Gaels were not overly impressive offensively, but the team did enough to post a 19-point win over Saint Peter's this past Sunday. Iona only shot 38.0 percent from the field, and made just 6-of-27 attempts from long. However, the Gaels were able to connect on 25-of-35 shots from the foul line, which definitely played a role in the win. Devon Clarke, who is averaging 10.4 ppg on the year, posted 15 points and came down with eight rebounds in the victory. Kyle Camper was the only other player with double figures, as the guard scored 12 points to go along with five assists. The team's leading scorer, Dexter Gray (11.4 ppg), connected on just 3-of-8 attempts from the field and finished with only six points. Overall, the Gaels have been inconsistent offensively, netting just 67.8 ppg, while shooting 44.6 percent.

Neither team is impressive offensively, so this will likely be a low-scoring affair. Fairfield has done well on the road, but should have trouble defeating Iona on its home court.