JERSEY CITY, NJ – The Saint Peter's men's basketball team's hot streak continued on Sunday afternoon, with the Peacocks defeating Fairfield University 61-44 in Jersey City. The win was the sixth consecutive home victory for Saint Peter's, extending the first-place Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) squad's record to a league-best 10-5 mark.
How it Happened
- Saint Peter's scored points on its first four possessions of the game, with four different players making a basket. Fousseyni Drame, Aaron Estrada, Quinn Taylor, and Daryl Banks III all scored, getting the Peacocks out to an early 9-2 lead.
- F. Drame gave the home team its first 10-point edge in the afternoon when he hit a jumper in the paint, putting the Peacocks ahead 14-4 (13:39).
- Saint Peter's would fall into a slump, scoring just four points over the game's next seven minutes, allowing Fairfield to get back into the contest, up 18-16 with 6:55 left in the half.
- As a response to the drought, the Peacocks mustered up its best run of the day, an 8-0 rally, to go back ahead by 10 (26-16).
- By intermission, Saint Peter's led 31-20, headlined by its defense which held Fairfield to 22 percent shooting from the floor and zero percent (0-for-6) shooting from three in the game's opening 20 minutes.
- The second half was all Saint Peter's, prohibiting Fairfield from ever getting within single-digits for the remainder of the game.
- The Peacocks hit their biggest lead late in second half, going up 53-36 following an Estrada layup and an open three-pointer by F. Drame with six minutes to play.
- With three minutes remaining and a 12-point lead (55-43), the defensive minded home unit buckled down and held the visitors to just one point down the stretch. During the final three minutes of the game, the Peacocks forced the Stags into 0-of-3 shooting, made two steals, and blocked one shot.
Inside the Numbers
- Both teams entered the game as the league's top defensive units, but Saint Peter's stingy defense prevailed in the head-to-head matchup.
- For the second time in as many games, Saint Peter's did not allow its opponent to lead at any point in the meeting, controlling the lead for 39:47 in the dominant win.
- The Peacocks held the Stags to 28.3 percent (15-of-53) shooting from the field and an unprecedented 10 percent (1-of-10) shooting from the three-point mark --- the one made three-point field goal and the 10 percent total from beyond the arc both lead the conference for opponent lows this season.
- Saint Peter's swatted nine shots for the second time this season, adding to its MAAC leading total of 109 rejections this season, while no other conference team has over 90 blocks. Majur Majak led the block party with five blocks, matching his career-high, while MAAC blocked shots leader KC Ndefo, rejected three shots.
- Offensively, the team was led by Estrada's career-high 20 points and three helpers. F. Drame recorded his first career double-double with 11 points and game-high 10 rebounds. Banks scored in double figures for the second consecutive game and seventh time this season with 10 points.
- Saint Peter's owned the glass, out rebounding Fairfield 46-27.
- This was the 10th time this season that the team grabbed over 40 rebounds.
- The Peacocks also had an advantage in the paint, scoring more than half of their points in the paint (38-26).
- Saint Peter's continues its dominance at home this season, now holding an overall record of 9-3 and a MAAC record of 7-1 following the six-game winning streak in the Yanitelli Center.
- The seven home conference wins tie the program record, matching the 1983-84 and 2004-05 squads.
- The men from Jersey City have also won nine of the past 10 games at home.
- Since the last meeting with Fairfield (Jan.15), the Peacocks have been the hottest team in the conference, posting a league best 8-2 record since the date.
Up Next
- Saint Peter's hits the road next week, visiting Manhattan on Friday, Feb. 21.
- The game will tip at 7 p.m. on ESPN3.
