Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Top scoreboard

Saint Peter's University Athletics

MBB preview 3-8
Lily Rodriguez

Men's Basketball

No. 9 Men’s Basketball Faces No. 1 Iona in MAAC Quarterfinals

The Peacocks will take on three-time defending MAAC Champion Iona at 7 p.m. on Friday

Game 32
Saint Peter's (10-21, 6-12) vs. Iona (14-15, 12-6)
Date: Friday, March 8
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Times Union Center, Albany, NY
LIVE STATS
ESPN3
GAME NOTES
 
Opening Words
  • The No. 9 Saint Peter's men's basketball continues action in the MAAC Championship at the Times Union Center in Albany, NY.
  • The Peacocks will meet top-seeded and three-time defending champion Iona at 7 p.m. on Friday, March 8.
  • The Peacocks advanced to the quarterfinal round of the tournament after defeating No. 8 Marist, 71-68 in overtime of the opening round.
  • Late in the second half of the game the Peacocks went on a 24-4 run after trailing by 13-points to take over the lead before forcing an overtime.
  • In the extra period, the back and forth action continued with five lead changes in the first four minutes before a layup by Quinn Taylor and two free throws by Watson sealed the victory.
  • The starting backcourt of Davauhnte Turner and Dallas Watson combined to score 35 points, with Turner scoring 18 and Watson scoring a career-high 17.
  • The Peacocks have won 4 out of their last 5 games with the first-round victory.
  • After ranking top-5 in scoring in the MAAC this season, All-MAAC Third Team selection, Davauhnte Turner finished the regular season averaging 16.5 points per game, ranking him fourth in the MAAC.
  • He is followed by Samuel Idowu who closed the regular season averaging 11.0 points per outing, which placed him 20th in the MAAC.
  • Quinn Taylor led the Peacocks with 5.5 rebounds per outing, ranked 12th in the MAAC, while Idowu averaged 5.4 rebounds per game, ranked 14th in the MAAC and KC Ndefo finished with 5.0 rebounds per game, 17th in the MAAC.
  • Dallas Watson was the Peacocks' leader in assists, ranking ninth with his 2.8 assists per game average.
  • Idowu ranked second in blocked shots overall with 1.8 swats per game followed by Ndefo who ranked third with 1.7 blocked shots per game.
  • Turner was also ranked 15th in both assists and steals this year.
 
All-Time Series with Iona
  • No. 9 Saint Peter's and No. 1 Iona will meet for the 121st all-time meeting since 1946-47.
  • The Peacocks trail the Gaels 50-70 all-time and have dropped nine straight to Iona.
  • The Peacocks last defeated Iona in the season finale of the 2015 season on March 1, in a 68-60 victory.
  • This will be the third straight season Saint Peter's and Iona will meet in the MAAC Championship, with the Peacocks trailing the Gaels 3-7 all-time in the tournament.
  • Over the past two seasons, Iona has ended Saint Peter's hopes of a MAAC title, defeating the Peacocks in consecutive MAAC semifinals.
  • The last time the Peacocks defeated Iona in the tournament was the 2011 title game when Saint Peter's defeated Iona 62-57, claiming the program's third MAAC crown.
 
Gaels Scout
  • Regular season champion and three-time defending MAAC champion Iona enters the MAACs with a 14-15 record.
  • The Gaels won seven straight to close out the regular season.
  • Iona has made the MAAC title game the past seven straight years and in 8 out of the last 9 championships, winning four crowns during the streak.
  • Iona is led by all-conference players, E.J. Crawford, Rickey McGill, and Tajuan Agee.
 
Peacocks History in the MAAC Championship
  • Saint Peter's entered the MAAC Championship as the No. 9 seed for the second straight year and fifth time overall.
  • As a No. 9 seed, the Peacocks now hold a 3-4 tournament record with two wins coming last season and this season's first round win.
  • The Peacocks are 35-35 all-time in the tournament, winning titles in 1991, 1995, and 2011.
  • The Peacocks' seven championship title game appearances are the fifth most among all current and former MAAC members, and the three titles are tied for fourth most amongst current MAAC members.
  • With the Championships in Albany at the TUC, the Peacocks' overall record is 17-17, with the team winning two of their three MAAC titles there (1991 and 1995).
  • The Peacocks are advancing to the quarterfinals for the sixth straight MAAC Championship.
  • In the quarterfinal round last season, the Peacocks made history by becoming the first No. 9 seed in MAAC history to reach the semifinal round and the first ever No. 9 seed to knock off a No. 1 seed in the MAAC tournament. 
  • Saint Peter's has advanced to the MAAC semifinal round the past two seasons and in 3 out of the last 4 championships.
 
Up Next
  • With a win, the Peacocks will advance into the semifinal round of the MAAC Championship and will take on No. 4 Rider/No. 5 Siena on Sunday, March 10 at 6 p.m.
 
Freshmen Step up in MAAC Tourny
  • The freshmen duo of Dallas Watson and KC Ndefo handled the pressure of their first MAAC tournament game by leading the team on the offensive and defensive end respectively en route to a first-round win.
  • Watson scored a career-high 17 points with a team-high 3 assists in the opening round win, while Ndefo led the team defensively with four blocks, five defensive rebounds, and added nine points.
 
Present vs. Past
  • After season sweeps over both Marist and Niagara, and a MAAC First Round victory over Marist, head coach Shaheen Holloway improved to 5-0 this season against former Saint Peter's men's basketball coaches.
  • Holloway is 3-0 against his predecessor and now Marist head coach John Dunne who spent 12 seasons at the helm of Saint Peter's and 2-0 against Niagara head coach Chris Casey who spent eight seasons as an assistant coach for Saint Peter's in the 1990's.
 
Turner Earns All-MAAC Accolades
  • Davauhnte Turner was named to the All-MAAC Third Team at the conclusion of the season.
  • Turner is the first Peacock in two seasons to make an All-League team, following in the footsteps of his former teammates Quadir Welton '17 and Trevis Wyche '17 who earned spots on the All-MAAC First and Second Teams respectively following the 2016-17 season.
  • He is the first Saint Peter's Third Team honoree since Marvin Dominique '14 made it in 2013-14.
 
Closing out the Season Strong
  • The Peacocks were winners in 3 out of 4 games to close the season on a high note.
  • In two of the wins, the Peacocks won by double-digits, the team's only 10+ point victories on the year.
  • Behind the run, Saint Peter's improved two spots from last place to ninth over the final two weeks of the season.
 
Welcome to Our Block Party
  • Behind the rim protection of Samuel Idowu, KC Ndefo, and Derrick Woods, Saint Peter's led the MAAC in blocked shots during the regular season, rejecting 5.4 shots per game and 5.6 shots per MAAC game.
  • The 5.4 blocked shots per game ranked seventh nationally.
 
Pepsi Zero MAAC Male Student-Athlete of the Week
  • After leading the Peacocks to a 2-1 week during the week of February 18-24, senior guard Davauhnte Turner was honored by the conference as the Pepsi Zero Male Student-Athlete of the Week.
  • On the week, he averaged 20.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.0 steals per game, while leading the team in scoring in all three games.
 
Bring out the Brooms
  • The Peacocks earned their first two season series sweeps over MAAC opponents in back-to-back games last week, with wins over Marist and Niagara.
  • The Peacocks defeated Marist 72-63 (January 13) and 65-59 (February 22), and Niagara 74-72 (January 22) and 78-60 (February 24).
 
Turner Dominates Niagara This Season
  • Davauhnte Turner scored a game-high 28 points against Niagara (February 24) and a season-high 31 points against Niagara (January 22) combining for 59 total points this season versus the Purple Eagles.
  • The 31 points and 28 points are Turner's two highest scoring marks in a game this season.
  • The 59 combined points are the most for any individual Peacock against any one team this season.
 
Starters Leading the Way
  • In Saint Peter's road win over Marist (February 22), all five starters scored at least eight points.
  • It was the first time this season that the Peacocks starting unit had completed this feat.
 
Dixon Shines at Manhattan
  • Redshirt-freshman Manny Dixon scored a career-high 18 points at Manhattan (February 2), the most points by a freshman in a single game this season.
  • Dixon shot 7 for 11 from the field and went a perfect 3 of 3 from the charity stripe.
 
Rim Protector
  • Samuel Idowu swatted a career-high six shots at Rider (January 31).
  • He became the first Peacock with more than five blocked shots in a game since 2014, when former Peacock Quadir Welton '17 rejected five shots against Iona on January 26.
  • The six blocks were also just one shy of the Saint Peter's record of seven in a single game, which was set by Todd Sowell on December 9, 2005.
 
Blocking His Way into the Record Books
  • Following his six-block performance at Rider (January 31), Samuel Idowu became the fourth Saint Peter's men's basketball player to reach the 100 blocked shots plateau, also moving him into fourth place in the Peacocks Record Book for career blocked shots.
 
30 Point Night at the Falls
  • Davauhnte Turner dropped a season-high 31 points at Niagara (January 22).
  • Turner's 30-point performance was just the second of the season by any MAAC player at the time and it marked the third time in his career that he surpassed the 30-point plateau (34 vs. Rider 1/18/18, 30 vs. Marist 2/8/18).
 
63 and Under
  • Through the first five MAAC games, Saint Peter's did not allow an opponent to score more than 63 points in a game (Siena – 60, Monmouth – 61, Fairfield – 60, Marist – 63, Manhattan – 58).  
  • This was the first time since the conference's inception that Saint Peter's held each of its first five opponents to under 63 points.
  • Through the five MAAC games, the Peacocks held their opponents to a 60.4 points per game average, which was the lowest average for their opponents since the 2010-11 season through five games.
 
Best Shooting Performance of the Season  
  • In the MAAC opening win over Siena (January 3) the Peacocks posted one of their best overall shooting performance of the season.
  • The team shot a season-best 52% (26-50) from the field, logged its third best 3-point shooting outcome of the season, connecting on 42.9% (6-14) from behind the arc, and the squad shot over 70% from the free-throw line after averaging under 70% from the charity stripe in non-conference action.
 
Seeing 20/20
  • The senior duo of guard Davauhnte Turner and forward Samuel Idowu scored 23 and 20 points respectively in Saint Peter's win over Hampton (December 29).
  • This was the first time a Peacock duo scored 20 or more points in a game since Quadir Welton '17 and Nick Griffin '18 scored 23 and 21 points respectively on November 18, 2016 against Lipscomb.
 
First Three Home Games End in Overtime
  • The season's first three home games for Saint Peter's needed an extra period to determine a winner.
  • In the program's history, no Peacock team has ever played in three consecutive overtime games through the first three home games of the season.
 
Following in the Footsteps of a Scoring Legend
  • Through the first five games, Davauhnte Turner scored in double figures every game, with three 20+ point efforts, while leading the team in scoring in four out of the five games.
  • Turner's 19.4 points per game average through the season's first five games were the highest points per game average for a Saint Peter's player since Peacock legend Keydren "Kee Kee" Clark averaged 20.8 points through the first five contests of the 2005-06 season.
 
Forcing Overtime Yet Again…
  • The Peacocks forced an overtime period in the season opener and second game of the season after trailing by double digits late in the second half of both contests.
  • Against Lafayette, the team trailed by 13 points with eight minutes left and versus Delaware, the Peacocks were down by 16 points with nine and a half minutes to play.
  • This was the first time in the program's 89-year history that the team opened the season with back-to-back overtime games.  
 
Peacocks Putting up Points
  • The Peacocks poured in 93 points in the season opener against Lafayette after not hitting the 90-point plateau for almost two full years (90 points on November 18, 2016 vs. Lipscomb).  
 
Not One, But Two…
  • Cameron Jones and KC Ndefo both recorded their first career double-doubles in the season opener against Lafayette. It was the first time since 2013 that two separate Peacocks logged a double-double in the same contest.
 
Overtime Opener
  • Going into overtime in the season opener is not a common occurrence for Saint Peter's. The program last went into an extra period in the season's first game during the 1979-80 campaign.
 
New Opponents in 2018
  • The Peacocks will face five new opponents during the 2018 non-conference slate.
  • The new opponents include Delaware, Bryant, North Texas, Auburn, and Clemson.
 
MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll
  • The Peacocks were selected 10th by the coaches in the preseason coaches' poll, receiving 28 votes after finishing eighth last season and making a historical run into the MAAC semifinal round of the 2018 MAAC Championship.
 
Meet the 2018-19 Squad
  • The Peacocks return two starters and eight letterwinners from last year's team, while adding six newcomers.
 
Returning Duo of Starters
  • The Peacocks return the duo of Samuel Idowu and Quinn Taylor, who both started all 32 games last season for Saint Peter's.
  • Idowu, a redshirt-senior, is the team's top returning scorer, rebounder, and shot blocker. He averaged 11.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game last season.
  • A junior, Taylor logged more minutes than any returning Peacock in 2017-18. He averaged 7.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per outing a year ago. Taylor is the squad's top returning stealer, after making 33 steals last year.
 
Returning to the Squad
  • The team returns senior Davauhnte Turner, juniors Cameron Jones and Amir Hicks, sophomore Cameron Underwood, and redshirt-freshmen duo Manny Dixon and Mikko Johnson.
  • Turner made 11 starts last season and averaged 10.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.0 assists. He is the Peacocks' top assists returner after handing out 61 assists last year.
  • Ndiaye appeared in 31 games a year ago, with averages of 4.4 points and 3.3 rebounds.
  • Jones appeared in all 32 games and made one start last season. He posted a stat line of 6.1 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game.
  • Hicks saw action in three games last season.
  • Dixon comes into the season after sitting out in 2017-18, but the redshirt-freshman is projected to be a starter in the upcoming season.
 
Welcome to Jersey City
  • The Peacocks welcome six newcomers to Jersey City this season, which includes four freshmen and two transfers.
  • The four freshmen joining the team this year are Klay Brown, Majur Majak, KC Ndefo, and Dallas Watson.
  • The two transfers are Nazeer Bostick from Penn State and Derrick Woods from Delaware.
  • Bostick will sit out the 2018-19 season, while Woods will become eligible in the second half of the season.
 
Back Together Again
  • The Peacocks have two pairs of players who played their high school basketball together.
  • The junior combination of Cameron Jones and Derrick Woods both played at Pennsbury in Pennsylvania and the freshmen duo of Klay Brown and KC Ndefo each played at Abraham Lincoln in Brooklyn, NY.
 
New Leader of the Peacocks  
  • First year head coach Shaheen Holloway will lead the Peacocks in 2018-19.
  • Holloway brings superlative credentials to Jersey City after spending the past eight seasons as the associate head coach at his alma mater, Seton Hall, under Kevin Willard.
  • With Holloway on the sideline serving as Willard's top assistant, Seton Hall became one of the BIG EAST's premier programs, winning the 2015-16 BIG EAST Tournament title for the first time since 1993.
  • From 2016 to 2018, Seton Hall recorded three straight 20-win seasons, the first time the program had done that since 1991-93, and three straight BIG EAST seasons of 10 wins or more for the first time in program history with Holloway.
  • Holloway helped Seton Hall advance to the NCAA Tournament in three consecutive seasons and in 2018, the Pirates won the program's first NCAA Tournament game since 2004 with him on the bench.
 
Joining Holloway on the Sideline  
Back in the MAAC
  • Holloway, Whalen, and Morton all return to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
  • Holloway and Whalen both coached at Iona previously, while Morton not only returns to the MAAC but also Saint Peter's, having served on the staff as an assistant from 2006-10
 
Seton Hall Ties
  • Holloway's staff also has deep ties to Seton Hall.
  • Holloway was a player and assistant coach for the Pirates, Whalen was an assistant coach there, Morton played for Seton Hall, and Petruzzelli worked a number of basketball clinics at the South Orange school.
Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Nick Griffin

#0 Nick Griffin

G
6' 2"
Graduate Student
Manny Dixon

#5 Manny Dixon

G/F
6' 5"
Redshirt Freshman
Samuel Idowu

#23 Samuel Idowu

F
6' 7"
Senior
Mikko Johnson

#10 Mikko Johnson

G
6' 2"
Redshirt Freshman
Cameron Jones

#25 Cameron Jones

G
6' 3"
Redshirt Junior
Quinn Taylor

#24 Quinn Taylor

G/F
6' 4"
Junior
Davauhnte Turner

#1 Davauhnte Turner

G
6' 0"
Redshirt Senior
Cameron Underwood

#22 Cameron Underwood

G/F
6' 6"
Sophomore
Dallas Watson

#0 Dallas Watson

G
6' 4"
Freshman
Klay Brown

#2 Klay Brown

G
6' 4"
Freshman
Nazeer Bostick

#4 Nazeer Bostick

G
6' 4"
Junior
Majur Majak

#12 Majur Majak

C
7' 1"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Nick Griffin

#0 Nick Griffin

6' 2"
Graduate Student
G
Manny Dixon

#5 Manny Dixon

6' 5"
Redshirt Freshman
G/F
Samuel Idowu

#23 Samuel Idowu

6' 7"
Senior
F
Mikko Johnson

#10 Mikko Johnson

6' 2"
Redshirt Freshman
G
Cameron Jones

#25 Cameron Jones

6' 3"
Redshirt Junior
G
Quinn Taylor

#24 Quinn Taylor

6' 4"
Junior
G/F
Davauhnte Turner

#1 Davauhnte Turner

6' 0"
Redshirt Senior
G
Cameron Underwood

#22 Cameron Underwood

6' 6"
Sophomore
G/F
Dallas Watson

#0 Dallas Watson

6' 4"
Freshman
G
Klay Brown

#2 Klay Brown

6' 4"
Freshman
G
Nazeer Bostick

#4 Nazeer Bostick

6' 4"
Junior
G
Majur Majak

#12 Majur Majak

7' 1"
Freshman
C

Sponsors