ATLANTIC CITY, NJ – Saint Peter's men's basketball dropped a heartbreaking 52-47 decision to No. 7 Fairfield in the semifinal round of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Men's Basketball Championship on Friday night at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. The Peacocks record falls to 14-11 overall this season.
KC Ndefo finished with a double-double, scoring 11 points and grabbing 12 rebounds.
Doug Edert was the only other Peacock on double-figures, also scoring 11 points.
The Basics
Score: Saint Peter's 47, Fairfield 52
Records: Saint Peter's (14-11, 10-8 MAAC) | Fairfield (10-16, 7-11 MAAC)
Location: Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall | Atlantic City, NJ
How It Happened
- In the first 10 minutes of the game, Saint Peter's came out swinging.
- Matthew Lee and Edert hit back to back to back three pointers (two from Edert) to spark an 11-0 Peacock run.
- The rally put Saint Peter's ahead 19-7 with 10 minutes left in the half.
- Over the final 10 minutes of the half, the Peacocks went cold, only scoring five more points, which allowed the Stags to cut into the lead and only trail by a pair at break (24-22).
- Out of the locker room, the team's went tit for tat through the first 6:45.
- During those almost seven minutes of the half, the two produced four lead changes and two ties.
- Consecutive triples by Edert and Daryl Banks III, knotted the game at 27-27 and 30-30.
- After a steal and missed layup by Lee, Ndefo cleaned up the board with a put back dunk to put SPU ahead 32-30.
- The Peacocks fell behind again by one point, but Fousseyni Drame converted a tip in that would put Saint Peter's back ahead 36-35 with 13:15 reading on the clock.
- Saint Peter's would go completely cold for the next 8:05, falling into a 46-36 hole.
- Trailing by nine (49-40) with just under three to play, the Peacocks scored seven straight points, cutting the contest to one possession.
- Lee's trifecta began the quick rally, then a mid-range jumper by Banks followed by a pair of free throws by F. Drame made the game 49-47 with 1:18 to go.
- The Peacocks would miss on a late opportunity to tie and after a Fairfield free throw, would trail 50-47 with 16 second remaining.
- With 13 ticks left, Lee missed the front end of a one and one but Ndefo grabbed the offensive rebound and was fouled on a layup attempt.
- Ndefo also missed both freebies and a late foul would secure the win for Fairfield after two made free throws on their end.
Notes
- Ndefo's double-double was the second of the season, fourth of his career.
- He also added five blocks and one assist.
- Ndefo became the program's all-time leader in career blocked shots in the game, surpassing Ryan Bacon.
- Edert grabbed five rebounds and set a new career-mark of two blocks.
- Lee led the unit with five helpers and finished his night with eight points.
- Banks was right behind with seven points, six rebounds, and two assists.
- The Peacocks dominate the glass, winning the battle 42-30.
- Both teams shot under 30 percent from the field and from three.
- The difference was at the charity stripe where SPU only went 3-of-7, while the Stags made over 66 percent of their attempts.
