GAME NOTES: The Fairfield Stags will try to finish off a successful first weekend in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play when they tangle with the Quinnipiac Bobcats at TD Bank Sports Center on Sunday afternoon.

Fairfield hosted Manhattan on Friday in its MAAC opener and came away with a 67-54 win. The victory stopped a two-game skid for the Stags, who are just 3-5 overall, including an 0-2 mark on the road. They will take a step out of conference play for their next matchup against Belmont.

Quinnipiac did not have such a warm reception in its first MAAC game of the season, falling, 88-67, on the road against Siena. The Bobcats have split their six games overall, including an even 2-2 record at home. They will be on the road against Boston University next before starting a four-game homestand.

The Bobcats won both meetings between these teams last season, the first time they locked horns as conference foes. Fairfield won the only matchup prior to last season, with a 72-60 triumph in 2011.

Marcus Gilbert finished with 24 points to power Fairfield past Manhattan. The Stags only made 42.2 percent of their shots from the floor, but they limited the Jaspers to 41.9 percent accuracy, while outscoring them, 24-15, from the free-throw line. Fairfield also enjoyed a 19-12 scoring edge in the paint, while grinding out a 32-30 edge on the glass.

Fairfield has not shot particularly well this season, connecting on 39.1 percent of its attempts from the field, while netting 60.9 points per game. On defense, the Stags are letting up 69.4 points per game on a 45.3 percent success rate. Gilbert (15.2 ppg) is knocking down an even 50 percent of his shot attempts and is the only double figure scoring threat on the roster. K.J. Rose (8.1 ppg, 2.6 apg) is the second option, but he has made only 32.8 percent of his shots from the floor.

Quinnipiac was absolutely decimated by Siena. The Bobcats let the Saints drop in 54.2 percent of their shots from the floor, while managing a meager 36 percent clip themselves. They also had twice as many turnovers (16-8), while being outscored, 44-14, in the paint. Zaid Hearst finished with a team-high 15 points, but he did so on 6-of-15 shooting.

The Bobcats did scrape out a win on the boards against Siena (37-34) continuing their trend of dominance in rebounding, which they lead the country in (46.5 rpg). However, grabbing so many boards has not been all that helpful because they are making only 39.3 percent of their shots from the field. Hearst (18.8 pg, 6.8 rpg) puts in solid work in scoring and on the glass, while Ousmane Drame (15.5 ppg, 10.3 rpg, 3.7 bpg) is normally a force on the interior. However he had only eight points, seven rebounds and two blocks before fouling out against the Saints. Evan Conti (11.7 ppg) is the third double-figure scorer, but he is shooting at a 38.3 percent clip.

For Quinnipiac, the hope is that its effort against Siena was a bump in the road. If Drame can stay out of foul trouble, the Bobcats should have an easier time defending the paint and that will go a long way towards a win.