BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – Lyndon Jordan scored a team-high 13 points while freshman Shimeek Johnson added 12 points as the Fairfield University men’s basketball team came up short in a 75-69 exhibition loss to the University of Bridgeport at the Arena at Harbor Yard.

The Stags trailed for most of the opening seven minutes with the exception of Anthony Johnson’s free throw that opened the scoring just 22 seconds into the game. Johnson, who missed the final 11 games of last season, saw his first action since late January. Bridgeport answered with a jumper from Dave Boykin, the first of his game-high 22 points. Anthony Johnson regained the lead for the Stags with a layup, making the score 3-2.

Bridgeport answered with a 10-4 run that pushed its advantage to 10-5 with 16 minutes left in the half. Fairfield answered by scoring 10 of the next 12 points to take its biggest lead of the game to that point, 15-12. Sean Crawford’s three pointer ended that run for Fairfield, which also produced the point that put the team in front.

The Purple Knights eventually tied the game at 19-19 with nine minutes remaining, after which the visitors used a 17-6 run that gave them their biggest lead of the game at 36-25 with a minute on the clock. Mike Evanovich hit a three-point basket at the buzzer to shrink the lead back to a single-digit at 36-28 by halftime.

Fairfield showed some fight with an 11-2 start to the half which erased its deficit and turned it into a one-point lead at 39-38. The teams would exchange leads four times before Fairfield doubled up that one-point lead to 46-44 with 14:25 remaining in the game. Shimeek Johnson’s jumper at the 11:44 mark gave Fairfield its biggest lead at 50-46, a lead which would hold until the 7:56 mark.

Steve Martin knocked down a three-point shot to regain the lead for Bridgeport at 55-54. Fairfield would take its final lead of he game at 64-63 on a coast-to-coast layup by Derek Needham with 2:49 on the clock. Bridgeport finished off the night with a 12-5 run that produced a 75-69 win.

Needham finished the game with 10 points, four assists, and four steals for the Stags. Demetrious Phillips tallied a double double for the Purple Knights with 16 points and 11 rebounds.

Fairfield returns to action on Monday, November 9 when it hosts Stonehill College in an exhibition game at the Arena at Harbor Yard. Game time is slated for 7:30 pm.