BRIDGEPORT, Conn. ? Fairfield's Yorel Hawkins scored 15 points to lead all scorers as the host Stags held on to defeat Canisius College 63-60 Sunday afternoon in the Arena at Harbor Yard. The win was Fairfield's third straight and improved the team to 11-6 overall and 4-2 in MAAC action while the Golden Griffins dropped to 5-11 overall and 0-6 in conference play.

Canisius trailed by one at 61-60 with 10 seconds left to play and had a chance to win the game in regulation, but the Griffs' 3-point shot from the left wing went long off the back iron and the Stags were able to pull down the rebound. Fairfield forward Greg Nero broke out of the pack and slammed one down for the final margin.

Canisius had four players record double figures in the loss, led by junior Frank Turner's team-high 14 points. Julius Coles and Greg Logins chipped in 13 points apiece for the Blue and Gold, while sophomore Elton Frazier was credited with 11 points. For the game, Canisius shot 45.6 percent from the field and held Fairfield to 34.8 percent from the floor, but the Stags were able to take advantage of 34 trips to the foul line, sinking 27 shots from the charity stripe.

The Griffs trailed by two at 59-57 with 2:23 left in the game before Coles hit a 3-pointer from the left corner to put the Blue and Gold up one at 60-59. On its next possession, Fairfield took the lead when Greg Nero worked his way inside and laid on off the glass for two of his 14 points. Following a Canisius miss on the free-throw line, the Griffs were able to force Fairfield into a shot clock violation, which set up the team's late chance to win the game.

"What else can you ask for but a shot to win the game on the road against a team that was picked to finish second in the league," Canisius head coach Tom Parrotta said. "We imposed our will defensively with toughness and played with a chip for 40 minutes. To hold a good team like Fairfield to six field goals in the first half and 16 for the game, it shows we're doing some really good things defensively. I'm proud of the way these guys handled themselves today. On the road, in a tight, physical game, they never stopped until the final buzzer. They've really banded together as a group and have continued to fight in spite of some very disappointing outcomes."

The Griffs shot 42.9 percent from the field and held Fairfield to a 24 percent shooting effort in the game's first 20 minutes, but the Stags went into the locker room at the break with a 31-28 advantage after the home squad hit 16 of its 17 tries from the foul line in the first half. Canisius ended the day with a 14-0 advantage in fast-break points and outrebounded the Stags by a 36-31 margin, with Logins pulling down a team-high seven boards for the Blue and Gold.

Canisius will return to action Thursday, Jan. 15, when the team plays host to Rider. Tipoff in the Koessler Athletic Center is set for 7:30 p.m.

Game Notes: In a physical game, a total of 38 fouls were called, including three technical fouls... Robert Goldsberry played the second half wearing No. 21 after bleeding on his regular No. 3 jersey in the first half following a collision for a loose ball... Tomas Vazquez-Simmons led all players with three blocks to give him 64 career blocks against MAAC opponents... Canisius has now held nine teams to less than 40 percent shooting from the field this year... Turner, who started his 70th career game Sunday, has scored in double figures 14 times this season.