Box Score
QUEENS, N.Y. – The Saint Peter's University men's basketball program used staunch defense and a Herculean effort by sophomore forward
Fousseyni Drame to take a halftime lead against La Salle before the offense found its groove in the second stanza, culminating in a 62-51 victory over the Explorers on Friday afternoon at Carnesecca Arena.
Drame turned in one of his finest outings in a Saint Peter's uniform, finishing with a team-leading 19 points and eight boards over nearly 35 minutes of work, as the Peacocks picked up their first win over La Salle since the latter was a member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and wrapped up their opening week of the season on a high note.
The Basics
Score: Saint Peter's 62, La Salle 51
Records: Saint Peter's (1-1) | La Salle (0-2)
Location: Carnesecca Arena | Queens, N.Y.
How It Happened
- After a slow start to the contest for both sides offensively, La Salle built a 10-2 lead thanks to an early 8-0 run. But a jumper by junior Dallas Watson followed by sophomore transfer Noah Kamba's first basket as a Peacock helped cut the deficit to 10-6 entering the second media break of the game.
- With under 10 minutes left in the half, rookie Oumar Diahame converted his first two career free throws before a 3-pointer by La Salle prompted a Saint Peter's timeout with 8:02 left and the Peacocks down by eight (16-8).
- Saint Peter's would start to heat up offensively, making three of its next five shots – including the first three-ball of the game by sophomore Daryl Banks III – to get within four (19-15) with six minutes to go in the opening stanza.
- That was when the Peacocks took over defensively, keeping the Explorers off the board over the final six-plus minutes of the half; meanwhile on the other end, Drame spurred a 13-3 scoring run that would carry his side into the break, as the sophomore singlehandedly scored the last eight Peacock points of the half, going 3-for-4 from the field while draining two free throws to send Saint Peter's into the locker room leading La Salle by two (21-19).
- The Explorers drew level at 23-23 early in the second half, but that was the last time the game would be deadlocked, as Saint Peter's responded with a 9-2 run that pushed the Peacocks ahead for good.
- The game was still within two possessions at the under-12 media break, but after freshman Marty Silvera splashed in his first bucket of the day with under 10 minutes left, the Peacocks found themselves leading by double-digits for the first time at 45-34; they would never lead by fewer than 11 points from there on out.
- By the time Drame converted his first 3-pointer of the day with 6:02 left, Saint Peter's ballooned its lead to 16 (52-36). Another triple by Banks III four minutes later matched that high water mark, and while La Salle closed the game out on a 9-4 run, it was too little too late, as the Peacocks closed out their first win of the season against the Atlantic 10 member.
Drame, Ndefo Earn All-Tournament Honors
- While the Peacocks, as a team, settled for runner-up honors for the season-opening Lapchick Tournament hosted by St. John's, two individuals claimed all-tournament accolades in Drame and junior forward KC Ndefo.
- The two forwards finished the week with impressive stat lines; Drame posted a team-high 31 points over the two games (15.5 ppg) and hauled down 13 boards (6.5 rpg) while adding a team-high four steals and a block.
- Ndefo finished with 27 points between the two games (13.5) and held the slight edge with 14 rebounds; the reigning MAAC Defensive Player of the Year is living up to those accolades with four blocks and three steals through two games.
Notes & Notables
- Drame's 19 points, eight baskets and three steals either tied or set career highs; his eight rebounds were two shy of his personal best.
- Banks III tied his single-game high with four made triples; he finished with 14 points, with all of his field goals coming from long range.
- Ndefo added another block alongside 11 points and seven rebounds, while sophomore Matt Lee set a new career best with 10 assists, becoming the first player to post 10 dimes in a game since Elijah Gonzalez (Siena, Feb. 25, 2018).
- Saint Peter's snapped a four-game skid against La Salle and improved to 9-15 all-time against the Explorers. The win was their first since the Explorers were a member of the MAAC when the Peacocks beat La Salle by a 57-50 margin on March 3, 1991, in the 1991 MAAC Tournament.
Up Next
Saint Peter's is next scheduled to open its MAAC slate against Niagara in its first weekend home series of the year on Friday, Dec. 11. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m.
