Needham scores 19 of 20 points in second half, propels Fairfield to 61-48 win over St. Peter’s

Fairfield holds off St. Peter’s 61-48

JERSEY CITY, N.J. — Freshman Derek Needham scored 19 of his 20 points in the second half to lift Fairfield to a 61-48 win over St. Peter’s on Sunday.

Needham finished 6-for-14 from the floor, including five 3-pointers, all in the second half. Anthony Johnson added 12 points for the Stags (6-2, 2-0 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference), who have won four of their past five games.

The Stags built a 10-0 lead in the first 4 minutes of the game and took their biggest lead at 20-8 with 7:46 before halftime. But Saint Peter’s took over from there, outscoring the Stags 17-4 to take a 25-24 halftime lead.

Midway through the second, though, Mike Evanovich hit a jumper that pushed the Stags in front at 38-37. The basket started a 11-0 run that opened the Stags’ advantage to 11 points at 47-37, and they never looked back.

Wesley Jenkins led the Peacocks (3-4, 1-1) with 12 points.