Men's Basketball Opens Conference Play with Road Contest at Quinnipiac

The Particulars
Saint Peter's (1-3, 0-0 MAAC) vs. Quinnipiac (3-3, 0-0 MAAC)
Date: Friday, Dec. 3 (7:00 p.m.)
Location: People's United Center
Network: ESPN3

Tip-Off

• After dropping their last contest on the road at Providence, SPU travels to Hamden Ct., to take on Quinnipiac in the first MAAC contest of the year for both teams.
• The Peacocks come into the matchup after dropping an 85-71 decision against the Friars last Saturday led by a career-high 26 points from Daryl Banks III.
• The Bobcats, meanwhile, fell 72-61 at home against Brown University Sunday afternoon.

Looking Back at Providence

• Saint Peter's traveled to the state of Rhode Island to take on its second Big East opponent in the first four games of the season and held a 46-45 lead with just under 16 minutes left in the second half before the Friars were able to pull away late.
• Banks III went 9 for 16 from the floor in his 26-point performance leading all scorers in the game and scoring at least 20 points for the third time in his collegiate career.
• The Peacocks also got solid efforts from juniors Doug Edert and Fousseyni Drame, both scoring in double figures with 16 and 13 points, respectively. Drame nearly produced a double-double as well with a team-high nine boards.

The Series

• All-Time: Saint Peter's leads 12-6
• Streak: Saint Peter's (1)
• Last Saint Peter's win: 3/5/2021 (W, 66-64, @ Quinnipiac)
• Last Quinnipiac win: 3/4/2021 (L, 65-60, @ Quinnipiac)

Five Things to Know

• Saint Peter's, which recorded its second consecutive trip to the semifinal round of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Championship – and fourth in its last five years – is entering Year four of head coach Shaheen Holloway's tenure. It does so with lofty expectations after being picked to finish second in the 2021-22 MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll and buoyed by the entirety of its starting lineup from last year's 14-win team that finished third in the conference standings.
• Headlining the group of returners is rising senior forward KC Ndefo, who claimed the honor of 2021-22 MAAC Preseason Player of the Year, as well as a spot on the preseason all-league first team. Ndefo's junior campaign was nothing short of remarkable after he bulldozed his way into the record books after leading the nation in blocked shots and finishing eighth in the MAAC in steals. 
• Junior guard Doug Edert averages 13.5 points per contest to lead all Peacock scorers this season with a pair of 17-point games to his ledger. In the first win of the season over LIU, Edert knocked down a clutch 3-point basket while getting fouled and completed the four-point play with less than 30 seconds left to send the Peacocks to the victory.
• Banks III, a Preseason All-MAAC Second Team selection, joins Edert averaging double figures this season with 11.5 points per game. He now has back-to-back games with double digit points and was recently named the MAAC Student-Athlete of the Week.
• Matthew Lee runs the offense at the point, averaging a team-best 4.0 assists per contest to rank fourth in the MAAC while also sitting fifth in the conference with a 1.6 assist-to-turnover ratio thus far this season.
• The Peacocks head into the contest with one of the top pressure teams in the conference, ranking second in the MAAC and inside the top-50 in the country in both steals per game and turnovers forced.

Brushing Up on the Bobcats

• Quinnipiac is led offensively by the guard combination of Tyrese Williams and Matt Balanc who both average over 13.0 points per contest thus far this season.
• Williams has scored in double figures in five of the Bobcats' six games this year and currently leads the MAAC shooting 46.7 percent from 3-point range.
• Balanc, who has proven to be a weapon off the bench, opened the season with a 25-point performance on the road against Maryland and is currently the team leader with 13.2 points per game.
• In the middle, 2019-20 Second Team All-MAAC selection Kevin Marfo returns to Quinnipiac after spending the 2020-21 season at Texas A&M University. Marfo led the NCAA with 13.3 rebounds per game his redshirt junior season and is currently averaging 10.5 boards per contest this season.
• The Bobcats have been dynamite beyond the arc this year, ranking second in the MAAC and 34th in the country with just over 10 made 3-point baskets per game.

Up Next

• The Peacocks will compete in their first MAAC home contest Sunday when they take on Siena at 2:00 p.m. inside Run Baby Run Arena. 

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