WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ – The Saint Peter's University men's basketball team never trailed on Saturday, leading to a 78-76 road victory over hOURglass Rival Monmouth University on Saturday at the OceanFirst Bank Center in West Long Branch. The win gave the Peacocks a series split with the Hawks and upped Saint Peter's Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) record to 3-1 and overall mark to 5-3.
For the first time in over three years, Saint Peter's had five separate players score in double-figures. The quintet of double-digit scorers were led by sophomore
Matthew Lee's 15 points, followed by 13 points from
Daryl Banks III,
Doug Edert, and
KC Ndefo, while
Hassan Drame added 10 points.
The Basics
Score: Saint Peter's 78, Monmouth 76
Records: Saint Peter's (5-3, 3-1 MAAC) | Monmouth (1-2, 1-1 MAAC)
Location: OceanFirst Bank Center | West Long Branch, NJ
How It Happened
- Saint Peter's came out of the gate hot, flying out to a 10-0 lead within two minutes.
- The big man Ndefo paced the squad with two layups in the paint, while the guards --- Banks and Lee --- connected on triples from the outside.
- A few more three-pointers by Banks and Tarojae Brake would keep the 10-point lead intact (20-10) and the Peacocks would extend the advantage to 12 (27-15) following a two-handed slam by Ndefo.
- Saint Peter's maintained the lead throughout the rest of the half, never allowing Monmouth to get within six points (36-30 at the half).
- In the second half, the Peacocks jumped back ahead by 10-points (49-39), when Banks hit another long ball.
- Monmouth slowly cut into Saint Peter's lead and the Peacocks found themselves only up by one point, 58-57, by the under eight minute media timeout.
- The Peacocks got a little bit of much needed breathing room after Brake made a floater and Fousseyni Drame chipped in a layup that gave Saint Peter's a seven-point lead (71-64) with 3:43 to play.
- Down the final stretch, Saint Peter's clinged onto a 72-71 advantage with under one minute of action left.
- Edert, who hit a clutch three in yesterday's game, came up huge for the Peacocks yet again, draining a trifecta with 26 seconds remaining, to put Saint Peter's up 75-71.
- A trio of free throws by Lee sealed the 78-76 road win for Saint Peter's.
Notes
- November 29, 2017 was the last time Saint Peter's had five double-figure scorers in the same game.
- Banks and Lee each led the Peacocks with four dimes apiece.
- H. Drame came up one rebound shy of a double-double, grabbing nine boards.
- Ndefo kept his defensive tear going, matching his career-best of six block shots.
- Saint Peter's never relinquished the lead, holding the advantage in the contests for 39:42.
- The win helped the Peacocks avoid being swept by the Hawks for the third time in the series history and Saint Peter's reclaimed the all-time hOURglass Rivalry series lead, improving to a 9-8 edge.
Up Next
Saint Peter's heads to nearby Brooklyn, NY for an out of conference meeting at St. Francis Brooklyn on Tuesday, Dec. 23 at 2pm before having the weekend off for Christmas break.
