Fairfield wasn't the team we thought would have a chance to make it to Madison Square Garden, but if the Stags keep shooting as well as they did in the first half, they could be the uninvited guest at the NIT party.
The Stags were 6-for-11 from 3-point range in the first half helping them to lead Virginia 30-29 at halftime in the opening round of the NIT Season Tip-Off. Desmond Wade went 3-for-5 from deep and Josip Mikulic was perfect on his three attempts during the opining 20 minutes.
Virginia shot 50 percent in the first half, but most of their damage has come off the bench. No starter has more than four points for the Cavaliers, who are led by Evan Nolte with nine.
Part of the Stags success so far has been keeping Virginia off the offensive glass. Mikulic had three defensive boards in the first half, while the Cavaliers were able to grab just one of their offensive rebounding opportunities.
The winner of this game will face the winner of the opener between Penn and Delaware.