Men's Basketball Goes for Sixth Straight Win Over Manhattan

The Particulars
Saint Peter's (14-11, 12-6 MAAC) vs. Manhattan (14-13, 7-11 MAAC)
Date: Tuesday, March 1, 2022
Location: Draddy Gymnasium (Riverdale, N.Y.)
Network: ESPN3

Tip-Off

• After taking down Niagara by 27 at home Sunday, the Saint Peter's men's basketball team travels to Riverdale, N.Y., to face off with Manhattan Tuesday night.
• The Peacocks took down the Purple Eagles 63-36 inside Run Baby Run Arena last time out while the Jaspers fell 66-62 at home against Fairfield Sunday afternoon.

Looking Back at Niagara

• Led by a dominant defensive effort allowing the least amount of points since 2015, SPU picked up a 63-36 victory over Niagara University Sunday inside Run Baby Run Arena.
• Junior Daryl Banks III scored 13 points and Hassan Drame finished with 10 rebounds as the Peacocks earned their largest margin of victory over a MAAC opponent since defeating Quinnipiac 76-45 on Feb. 9, 2017. SPU improved to 14-11 overall and 12-6 in MAAC play.
• Niagara, meanwhile, were held to their lowest number of points since Feb. 15, 1947 as they dropped to 12-15 overall and 7-11 in conference play.
• With the win, SPU clinched at least a top-three seed in the MAAC Tournament for the third straight season.
• The Peacocks held the Purple Eagles to 24.1 percent from the floor and 20.0 percent from 3-point range while shooting 47.4 percent offensively in the victory.
• Senior KC Ndefo also filled up the stat sheet with eight points, six rebounds, two assists as SPU will now battle with Siena for the #2 seed in the conference tournament.

The Series

• All-time: Manhattan leads 79-57
• Streak: SPU (5)
• Last Saint Peter's Win: 1/28/22 (W, 77-51 @ SPU)
• Last Manhattan Win: 2/2/19 (L, 64-50 @ Manhattan)

Quick Hitters

• After nearly a month between games from Dec. 18 to Jan. 14, SPU has gone 11-5 in the 2022 calendar year to move to 12-6 in MAAC play and vault into a tie for second place in the MAAC.
• KC Ndefo, the two-time reigning MAAC Defensive Player of the Year heads into the contest averaging 11.2 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.6 blocks per game in MAAC contests this season. He is coming off a 14-point, 11-rebound double-double in Friday's win over Monmouth.
• Daryl Banks III leads the Peacocks offensively overall on the season averaging 11.2 points per game this season. Banks has scored in double figures 15 times this season with 11 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 34th in DI allowing just 63.7 points per game.
• The Peacocks defeated the Jaspers 77-51 in Jersey City the last time the two teams faced off. Freshmen Jaylen Murray and Clarence Rupert led the way offensively for SPU with 14 and 13 points, respectively. The Peacocks have now won five straight against Manhattan in the series.
• After the win over Fairfield on Friday, Feb. 18, SPU won its 10th MAAC contest for the third consecutive season. It is the first time the Peacocks have won double-digit conference contests in three straight seasons since 1986-89.

Shot BlocKing

• The 2021-22 MAAC Preseason Player of the Year, Ndefo now has a program-best career total of 278 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 21st in the country with 2.56 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 13th in the NCAA shooting 89.4 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 89.1 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 14 of their last 17 games and hold a 13-5 record this season when allowing less than 70.
• Thus far this season, SPU leads the MAAC in scoring defense and opponents' field goal percentage and steals per game while ranking second in the conference in blocked shots per game and turnovers forced per game.
• The Peacocks currently rank 41st in the NCAA in opponents' 3-point percentage and 30th 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 19 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

• As a team, SPU is ranked second in the MAAC shooting 35.3 percent from 3-point range as a team this season.
• Edert leads the way for the Peacocks and sits atop the conference shooting 42.5 percent from downtown on the year which would rank 15th in the country if he met the NCAA qualifying number of attempts.
• Banks III and Matthew Lee also sit in the top-10 in the MAAC shooting 37.8 and 37.3 percent from deep to rank eighth and ninth, respectively.

Crashing the Boards

• The Peacocks are one of the top rebounding teams in the MAAC, leading the league with a +4.0 rebounding margin this season.
• SPU has done a marvelous job on the offensive glass this season as they sit atop the conference and 69th in the country with 11.5 offensive rebounds per game.
• Positive results on the boards has been a strong indicator of success for the Peacocks this season as they have out-rebounded their opponent in 10 of their 14 victories on the year.

Matching up with Manhattan

• Manhattan comes into the contest at 14-13 overall and 7-11 in MAAC play. The Jaspers are currently in a five-way tie for sixth place in the conference standings with two games left to play.
• The Jaspers head into the contest having dropped back-to-back contests over the weekend, falling to Marist 74-56 Friday before dropping a 66-62 decision to Fairfield on Sunday.
• Senior Jose Perez is the top offensive option for the Jaspers this season, averaging 19.0 points per game to lead the MAAC. Perez has scored in double figures in 10 straight games dating back to Manhattan's last matchup with the Peacocks where he only scored six points in nine minutes of game action before being ejected.
• Senior Ant Nelson joins Perez in double figures averaging 11.3 points per game over 24 games this season. Nelson is coming off a strong performance Sunday against Fairfield when he finished with 20 points and eight rebounds in the losing effort.
• As a team, Manhattan is one of the top shooting teams in the MAAC as they lead the league shooting 44.6 percent from the floor this season. The Jaspers have also been active on the defensive end, ranking first in the conference in turnovers forced per game.
• Manhattan has struggled from distance this season, however, sitting 11th in the MAAC in 3-point field goal percentage and 10th in 3-point field goals made per game.

Up Next

• The Peacocks return home for the regular season finale Saturday when they welcome Fairfield to Run Baby Run Arena at 1:00 pm.
• SPU took down Fairfield 70-59 in Bridgeport, Ct., in their first meeting of the year on Feb. 18.

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