Games 10/11
Saint Peter's (6-3, 3-1 MAAC) vs. Canisius(1-3, 1-3 MAAC)
Date: Friday- Saturday, Jan. 1-2
Time: 1 p.m.
Location: Koessler Athletic Center, Buffalo, NY
WATCH ESPN: Friday (ESPN+) /
Saturday (ESPN3)
LIVE STATS
GAME NOTES
Opening Tip
- 2021 tips off for the Saint Peter's University men's basketball team with a road trip to Western New York for a MAAC battle against Canisius College on Friday (Jan. 1) and Saturday (Jan. 2).
- Start times for both games will be 1pm at Koessler Athletic Center in Buffalo, NY.
- The Peacocks (3-1) remain tied at the top of the MAAC standings heading into the new calendar year, with an overall record of 6-3.
- The Peacocks closed out the non-conference slate on Dec. 23 with a 70-64 wire-to-wire victory over St. Francis Brooklyn.
- Fousseyni Drame and Doug Edert each poured in 18 points to lead Saint Peter's in the one-sided affair, while KC Ndefo recorded his first double-double of the campaign (15 points, 10 rebounds).
- Canisius enters the matchup with 1-3 MAAC and overall records, having defeated Marist in its season opener before falling in the next three straight games.
Things to Know Before the Series
Series History
- Saint Peter's and Canisius will kick off the new year with the series' 84th and 85th all-time meetings on Friday and Saturday afternoon.
- Since 1931-32, the Peacocks trail the Golden Griffins 36-47 all-time and since the 1989-90 season, when Canisius joined the MAAC, the Peacocks trail the Griffs 30-36 in the series.
- The teams split last season's series, each winning on the road.
- Canisius took the first meeting of the season on Jan. 12 in Jersey City, with a 72-68 win.
- Saint Peter's returned the favor, knocking off the Griffs 69-68 in Buffalo on Feb. 29, while also snapping a four-game skid to Canisius that dated back to 2017.
- Each side has won five games over the last 10 meetings, and the teams have split the last eight contests that have been played in Buffalo.
The Year of the Peacock
- Despite 2020 being a difficult year off the court, on the hardwood, Saint Peter's put together one of its most impressive seasons in program history.
- The Peacocks won 70 percent of their contests, posting a 21-9 overall mark and 17-7 MAAC record during the calendar year.
- The .700 overall winning percentage in 2020 was the best for the program since posting a .766 (23-7 record) winning percentage during 1995, while the team's 21 victories were the most since winning 25 games in 2017 --- both 1995 (MAAC Tournament champions) and 2017 (CollegeInsider.com champions) resulted in championship runs for the team.
- Additionally, the 17 conference wins were the most in any calendar year for the group since the MAAC's inaugural slate in 1981-82.
Defense Makes the Difference
- The Peacocks enter 2021 in familiar territory --- at the forefront of the league's defense rankings.
- Heading into the new year, the Peacocks defense ranks first in field goal percentage defense (.371), total blocked shots (24), blocks per game (6.00), total steals (32) and steals per game (8.00).
- On the individual side of defensive rankings, reigning MAAC Defensive Player of the Year KC Ndefo, sits fifth nationally and leads the conference in blocks per game while also ranking top-5 in steals on the MAAC charts.
Next Up
- Saint Peter's will return to Jersey City for a series against the Fairfield Stags on Friday and Saturday, Jan 8-9, with tip off at 8pm both nights.
