Men's Basketball Heads to Bridgeport to Face Off with Fairfield on ESPNU

The Particulars
Saint Peter's (11-10, 9-5 MAAC) vs. Fairfield (12-14, 6-9 MAAC)
Date: Friday, Feb. 18 (7:00 PM)
Location: Webster Bank Arena (Bridgeport, Ct.)
Network: ESPNU

Tip-Off

• Coming off back-to-back MAAC losses for the first time this season, the Saint Peter's men's basketball team looks to bounce back Friday night when they take on Fairfield on the road at 7:00 p.m.
• The Peacocks dropped a 70-61 decision at home against Iona the last time out while Fairfield fell 74-67 at home against Manhattan Wednesday afternoon to stop a two-game win streak.

Looking Back at Iona

• Senior KC Ndefo filled up the stat sheet with 16 points, eight rebounds, three blocks and three steals but it was not enough as the Peacocks fell 70-61 against Iona College Tuesday night inside Run Baby Run Arena.
• Trailing by as many as 11 points in the first half, SPU cut the deficit down to two points with just over 13 minutes left to play in the game after a layup from Fousseyni Drame. 
• The Gaels responded with a 13-3 run, however, to swell the lead back to 12 and kept SPU at arms-length the rest of the way.
• With the win, Iona improved to 21-5 overall and 13-2 in MAAC play while the Peacocks dropped to 11-10 overall and 9-5 in the MAAC.
• Freshman Jaylen Murray joined Ndefo in double figures with 10 points going 5 for 6 from the floor to reach double-digits for the fourth time this season.
• It is the first time this season SPU has lost back-to-back conference games as the Peacocks fell into third place in the MAAC standings.

The Series

• All-time: Series tied 61-61
• Streak: Fairfield (1)
• Last Saint Peter's Win: 2/14/2021 (W, 66-49 @ SPU)
• Last Fairfield Win: 3/12/2021 (L, 52-47 @ MAAC Tournament)

Quick Hitters

• After nearly a month between games from Dec. 18 to Jan. 14, the Peacocks have gone 8-4 in the 2022 calendar year to move to 9-5 in MAAC play and vault into third place in the MAAC.
• KC Ndefo, the two-time reigning MAAC Defensive Player of the Year, heads into the contest averaging 11.0 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.7 blocks per game in MAAC contests this season.
• Daryl Banks III leads the Peacocks offensively overall on the season averaging 11.0 points per game this season. Banks has scored in double figures 12 times this season with eight of those performances coming in MAAC games.
• SPU heads into the contest with one of the top defenses in the MAAC, leading the conference and ranking 47th in DI allowing just 64.2 points per game.
• The contest against Fairfield is the first of a three-game road trip for the Peacocks. SPU will close the season playing four of its final six games away from Run Baby Run Arena.
• It is the first meeting between the Peacocks and the Stags since Fairfield upset SPU 52-47 as the #7 seed in the MAAC Tournament one season ago.

Shot BlocKing

• The 2021-22 MAAC Preseason Player of the Year, Ndefo now has a program-best career total of 269 blocks, good for the fifth-most among active players in DI.
• In the home win over Quinnipiac on Friday, Feb. 4, Ndefo swatted 11 shots to set the single-game program record for blocks in a game. It was tied for the second-most blocked shots all-time in a MAAC game.
• After leading the country in blocks per game in 2020-21, Ndefo is atop the MAAC and is 22nd in the country with 2.62 blocked shots per game this season. 

Money From the Stripe

• Banks III is one of the top free throw shooters in the country, leading the conference and ranked 22nd in the NCAA shooting 88.9 percent from the line.
• From Nov. 27 to Jan. 26, Banks III made 34 straight free throws which is currently the fourth-longest streak in Division I this season.
• Doug Edert, meanwhile, is second in the MAAC shooting 87.2 percent from the line this season. He has missed just six free throws this season.

Defense Wins Championships

• The Peacocks have allowed under 70 points in 11 of their last 14 games and hold a 10-5 record this season when allowing less than 70.
• Thus far this season, SPU leads the MAAC in 3-point field goal percentage defense, steals per game and opponents' field goal percentage. The Peacocks are also second in the league in blocked shots per game and turnovers forced per game.
• Coming into the contest, the Peacocks rank 30th in the NCAA in opponents' 3-point percentage and 32nd in overall field goal percentage defense.

Balancing Act

• SPU has had one of the most balanced groups in the country this season and have had 15 consecutive games with at least eight different scorers.
• Offensively, nine different players have scored in double figures in a game this season.
• Of the 12 student-athletes who have seen action in a game this season, 11 have at least one start. Additionally, all 12 are averaging at least 10 minutes per contest.

Threes Please

• SPU is now ranked first in the MAAC and 69th in the country shooting 36.0 from 3-point range as a team this season.
• Edert leads the way for the Peacocks and sits atop the conference shooting 44.8 percent from downtown on the year.
• Banks III also ranks inside the top-10 in the MAAC shooting 38.8 percent from deep.

Focusing on Fairfield

• The Stags head into the matchup 12-14 overall and 6-9 in the MAAC currently sitting in a tie for seventh in the conference standings.
• Fairfield has won two of its last three games in league play, knocking off Niagara and Canisius before falling to Manhattan. The Stags have played six straight games at home in a 14-day span from Feb. 6-18.
• Graduate student Taj Benning is the leading scorer for Fairfield averaging 11.2 points per contest this season. Benning has scored in double figures 17 times this season and had a stretch of six straight games with at least 12 points from Jan. 9-28 earlier this year. 
• Sophomore Supreme Cook has been a catalyst on the offensive and defensive ends for the Stags this season averaging 10.3 points and 8.1 boards per contest. Cook is third in the MAAC with six double-doubles this season and is coming off a 17-point performance in Wednesday's contest against Manhattan.
• As a team, Fairfield takes good care of the basketball with a MAAC-best 11.0 turnovers per game this season while ranking second in the league with a 1.14 assist-to-turnover ratio.
• Conversely, the Stags have had trouble forcing turnovers at the other end as they rank 11th in the conference in turnovers forced and steals per game.

Up Next

• The Peacocks will play in their second contest of a three-game road trip Sunday when they travel to Albany, N.Y., to take on Siena at 2:00 p.m.
• The Saints defeated SPU 60-58 when the two teams met in Jersey City on Dec. 5 earlier this season.

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