CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Another second-half run by the opposition turned into a Penn loss on Tuesday as the Quakers fell to Fairfield, 62-53, in a consolation game of the NIT Season Tip-Off at John Paul Jones Arena.
After Penn (1-2) cut it to one early in the second half, the Stags (1-2) used a 16-4 run to regain control.
For a second straight game, junior forward Fran Dougherty set a career high in scoring, finishing with a game-high 31 points to go along with 10 rebounds in a losing effort.
Derek Needham led the Stags with 14 points, including three three-pointers, while Maurice Barrow and Colin Nickerson added 10 each.
Junior guard Miles Cartwright, who came in averaging a team-best 20.5 points a game, hit his first basket with 7 minutes, 6 seconds to go. Dougherty picked up the scoring slack for a second straight day, scoring 14 of the team's first 19 points. Cartwright, who battled foul trouble for a second straight contest, finished with nine points.
Dougherty hit the Quakers' first three-pointer of the game (after the team missed on their first five tries) with just under two minutes until halftime, and a pair of Cartwright free throws with 40 seconds left pulled Penn within 33-28 at the break.
The Quakers shot just 33.3 percent (8 of 24) from the field before intermission but outrebounded the Stags, 18-13.
Penn will host Drexel on Saturday at 4 p.m.
