Men's Basketball Continues Four Game Homestand with Sunday Contest Against Marist

The Particulars
Saint Peter's (10-8, 8-3 MAAC) vs. Marist (8-12, 3-8 MAAC)
Date: Sunday, Feb. 6th, 2:00 PM
Location: Run Baby Run Arena
Network: ESPN+

Tip-Off

• Coming into the contest having won seven of their last nine games, the Saint Peter's men's basketball team returns to action Sunday afternoon in a home contest against Marist College.
• The Peacocks are coming off an 83-74 win over Quinnipiac Friday while the Red Foxes fell 72-66 on the road at Manhattan last Sunday.

Alumni Reunion

• The SPU athletics department welcomes men's basketball alumni from all generations back to campus to attend the 2022 Men's Basketball Alumni Reunion on Sunday, February 6! 
• Click HERE to register for the event and confirm your attendance. 
• All men's basketball alumni and up to three guests will receive FREE admission to the game. 
• A pregame reception will be held beginning at 1:00 p.m. in the Peacock Cafe inside the Yanitelli Center.
• Men's Basketball Alumni + 3 guests will receive FREE admission
• Click HERE to register!

Looking Back at Quinnipiac

• On a night where he became the 34th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points, KC Ndefo made sure that was not the only milestone of the night as he set a new single game program record with 11 blocks to help SPU to an 83-74 victory over Quinnipiac.
• Needing 13 points to reach the milestone, Ndefo finished the night with 14, scoring his 1,000th point on a free throw with 40 seconds remaining to join Ryan Bacon as one of only two players in program history with 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 200 blocks in a career.
• With the win, the Peacocks improved to 10-8 overall and 8-3 in MAAC play, still all alone in second place in the league standings.
• The Peacocks had five players in double figures for the first time this season as Daryl Banks III had 16, Ndefo produced 14, Fousseyni Drame had 12, Matthew Lee finished with 11 and Doug Edert added 10.
• Drame joined Ndefo with a double-double as he added 10 rebounds to mark the first time the Peacocks have had multiple players with a double-double in the same game since Ndefo and Cameron Jones accomplished the feat against Lafayette on Nov. 7, 2018.
• On the defensive end, Ndefo's 11 blocks are tied for the second-most ever in a MAAC game, behind only Fairfield's Deng Gai who had 13 in a contest against Siena on Jan. 22, 2005.

The Series

• All-time: Saint Peter's leads 35-25
• Streak: Saint Peter's (1)
• Last Saint Peter's Win: 1/26/22 (W, 69-62 @ Marist)
• Last Marist Win: 2/20/2021 (L, 51-50 @ SPU)

Quick Team Notes

• After nearly a month between games from Dec. 18 to Jan. 14, the Peacocks have gone 7-2 in the 2022 calendar year to move to 8-3 in MAAC play and vault into second place in the MAAC.
• Ndefo, the two-time reigning MAAC Defensive Player of the Year, heads into the contest averaging 11.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.6 blocks per game in MAAC games this season.
• Daryl Banks III leads the Peacocks offensively overall on the season averaging 11.3 points per game this season. Banks has scored in double figures in four of his last six games.
• SPU heads into the contest with one of the top defenses in the MAAC, leading the conference and ranking 68th in DI allowing just 65.0 points per game.
• The contest against Marist is the second in a four-game homestand for the Peacocks, the longest of the season, as they will play six of their last 10 games inside Run Baby Run Arena.
• The Peacocks defeated the Red Foxes 69-62 in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., earlier this season led by an 18-point, 11-rebound double-double from Hassan Drame.

Shot BlocKing

• The 2021-22 MAAC Preseason Player of the Year, Ndefo swatted 11 shots to set the single-game program record in Friday's contest against Quinnipiac.
• Ndefo now has a program-best career total of 260 blocks, good for the fifth most among active players in DI.
• Ndefo leads the MAAC and is 26th in the country with 2.56 blocked shots per game this season. 

Money from the Stripe

• Banks III is leading the conference and ranked 14th in the country in free throw percentage at 90.7 percent.
• 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.
• Edert, meanwhile, is third in the MAAC shooting 86.7 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 nine of their last 11 games and hold a 9-4 record this season when allowing less than 70.
• Defensively, SPU leads the league in steals per game while ranking second in the MAAC in turnovers forced per game, blocked shots per game, opponents' field goal percentage, 

Balancing Act

• The Peacocks have been one of the most balanced groups in the country this season and have had 12 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.

Spectator Policy

• All guests ages 12 and older must provide proof of a completed series of World Health Organization (WHO)-approved COVID-19 vaccination.
  • PLEASE NOTE: Full vaccination is achieved two weeks following a person's second dose of a two-dose vaccine series such as Pfizer and Moderna, or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine such as Johnson & Johnson.
• Masks are required at all events inside the Yanitelli Center regardless of vaccination status.
• Proof of COVID-19 vaccination may be demonstrated by displaying a photo or hard copy of a CDC vaccination card, NJ DOCKET app, New York State Excelsior App, or an official vaccination record. We ask that you have such proof readily available prior to arriving at the venue.
• Anyone 18 years or older must also present an appropriate ID with proof of vaccination, which must contain the name of the individual, and a photo of the individual or the individual's date of birth. Examples of acceptable forms of identification include but are not limited to: a driver's license, non-driver government ID card, passport and/or school or work-issued ID card.

Matching Up with Marist

• Marist heads into Sunday's contest 8-12 overall having lost four straight contests and six of their last seven. 
• The Red Foxes are currently in 10th place in the MAAC standings but hold conference wins over Monmouth, Fairfield and Rider this season.
• Freshman phenom Jao Ituka is the leading scorer for Marist on the year averaging 14.7 points per game. Ituka leads the MAAC shooting 55.1 percent from the floor this season and finished with 15 points in the earlier meeting against the Peacocks.
• Sophomore Ricardo Wright is just behind Ituka in points per game averaging 14.6 points per contest. Wright managed just two points against SPU the last time the two teams played but has scored in double figures in eight of his last nine contests.
• Senior Samkelo Cele was the leading scorer for the Red Foxes against the Peacocks earlier this season with 15 points. Cele is averaging 10.6 points per game as is one of two Marist players to have started all 20 games on the year.
• The Red Foxes have been strong from beyond the arc this season, ranking second in the MAAC with 8.1 made 3-pointers per game as a team.
• Marist has struggled handling the ball at times this year, sitting 10th in the MAAC in turnover margin at -0.8. 

Up Next

• SPU returns to Run Baby Run Arena Friday night at 7:00 p.m. for the third game of a four game homestand against Rider University.
• The Peacocks defeated the Broncs 58-51 in Lawrenceville, N.J., on Jan. 16, 2022 in their first meeting of the season.

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For continuing coverage of Saint Peter's University Athletics, visit SaintPetersPeacocks.com and follow the Peacocks on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.