STRUTTING TO THE SECOND ROUND! Men's Basketball Stuns #2 Kentucky in Overtime in NCAA Opener

Highlights

INDIANAPOLIS (March 17, 2022) - Led by phenomenal efforts from juniors Daryl Banks III and Doug Edert on the biggest stage imaginable, the Saint Peter's University men's basketball team earned arguably the biggest win in program history -- in overtime, no less -- by way of its stunning 85-79 victory over heavily favored second-seeded and eight-time national champion Kentucky in the 2022 NCAA Championship's opening round on Thursday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The bracket-busting decision, which was the program's first NCAA Tournament win in four tries, catapulted the Peacocks into the national spotlight and, at least for one night, can safely claim the status as the darlings of this year's national tournament.

Banks III finished the contest with a career-high 27 points and Edert dropped 20 for the second straight game, including a pair of huge 3-pointers down the stretch, as the Peacocks stunned the Wildcats in front of a raucous crowd. The Peacocks advance to the NCAA Championship's Second Round on Saturday (March 19), where they will battle seventh-seeded Murray State at 7:45 p.m. with a trip to the Sweet 16 at stake.

Tied 37-37 at half and 71-71 at the end of regulation, the Peacocks outscored the Wildcats 14-8 in the overtime period and closed the contest on a 14-4 run to reach the 20-win milestone for the first time since 2017 when SPU won the CollegeInsider.com Tournament title. The Peacocks have also now won eight straight games for the first time since the 1994-95 season when they won nine consecutive contests to start the season 9-1.

Banks III was on fire in the first half, scoring 16 in the opening stanza to keep SPU in it without three-time Defensive Player of the Year KC Ndefo on the court after picking up two fouls in the first two minutes of game action.

Much like he did in the MAAC Championship contest, it was Edert who knocked down clutch shots down the stretch at the end of regulation and overtime to hand Kentucky just their second opening round defeat in the last 27 chances for the Wildcats.

How It Happened

• The opening minutes were a defensive struggle with neither team hitting a field goal in the first 2:30 of game action.
• Trailing 7-5 early on, the Peacocks took their first lead of the game on a 3-pointer by Banks III and re-gained the lead when Jaylen Murray knocked down a shot from downtown at the top of the key to jump start a 7-1 run and give SPU a 15-10 lead.
• With the score 20-17 in favor of the Peacocks, Kentucky answered with a 9-2 run of their own to grab the edge and push the lead to as high as four.
• Trailing 31-27 with 4:48 left in the half, Banks III took over offensively hitting back-to-back 3-pointers to knot things up at 33.
• Murray and Fousseyni Drame both hit layups in the final two minutes and sent things into the break tied at 37-37.
• Coming out of the locker room, Banks III drilled a 3-pointer to start things off but the Wildcats answered with seven straight points of their own to lead 45-40. 
• With just under 12 minutes to play trailing 49-45, Ndefo stepped in with back-to-back made jumpers, Banks III drilled another and Murray buried a 3-pointer from the corner to fuel an 11-3 run and give SPU a 55-52 lead.
• Kentucky made their largest run of the game with 6:43 left in regulation. Down 60-58, the Wildcats scored 10 of the next 12 points to take a 68-62 lead into the under-four timeout.
• The Peacocks were not to be denied, as they answered Kentucky's 10-2 run with seven straight points of their own, capped off by a 3-pointer from Edert to give SPU a 69-68 lead with 1:25 left.
• UK responded with a three of their own to take a two-point lead, but Edert and the Peacocks didn't blink as the junior from Nutley, N.J., drove to the basket and hit a layup to tie things up with less than 30 seconds left.
• SPU held strong defensively on their last possession to send things to overtime.
• In the extra period, Kentucky scored the first four points to lead 75-71 and try to inch away.
• Edert was not going to let that happen, though, hitting another huge 3-pointer from NBA range to tie the game at 75.
• The two teams would both draw fouls to go to the line on their next offensive possessions, but Davion Mintz would only go 1 for 2 from the line leaving the door open for Banks III to knock down a pair and give the Peacocks a 77-76 lead.
• Hassan Drame had a huge moment down the stretch as well, recording a steal on the next Kentucky possession and hitting a layup at the one-minute mark to put SPU on top 79-76.
• With 42 seconds left on the clock, Ndefo came up with the biggest defensive play of the game with a block on a layup attempt down low that was determined to have gone off the thumb of a Kentucky player to give the Peacocks the ball.
• The Wildcats were forced to foul Banks III, who hit them both to swell the lead to five before TyTy Washington brought UK back within two with a 3-pointer with 22 ticks left.
• SPU executed down the stretch, however, inbounding the ball to Matthew Lee to send him to the line to knock down two huge foul shots and push it back to a two-possession game.
• Kellan Washington would miss a 3-point attempt for the Wildcats the next time down and Edert secured the rebounds, got fouled, and drilled two foul shots to give SPU the 85-79 win.

Inside the Numbers

• The Peacocks now have their first NCAA Tournament win in four tries after making their first appearance since 2010-11.
• SPU shot lights out in the game at 50.9 percent and 52.9 percent from 3-point range. The Peacocks were also 18 for 21 from the free throw line.
• Led by 20 from Edert, the SPU bench doubled up Kentucky 34-17.
• Despite trailing 15-13 in the turnover battle, the Peacocks were able to take advantage of Wildcat miscues more often with a 15-9 edge in points off turnovers.
• The 27 points for Banks III were the most since he dropped 26 in a road contest at Providence on Nov. 27, 2021.
• Murray was the third-highest scorer in the game for SPU with eight while Ndefo and Hassan Drame had seven each.
• Nine different Peacocks scored in the win to mark the 25th straight game SPU has had at least eight scorers.
• Ndefo added two more blocks to his career ledger to give him 298 for his career, just two shy of the elusive 300-block milestone.
• The Peacocks became the 10th 15-seed to knock off a #2 seed in NCAA Tournament history. They will look to join Oral Roberts (2021) and Florida Gulf Coast (2013) as one of just three #15 seeds to advance to the Sweet 16.
• Kentucky, who came into the contest as one of the best rebounding teams in the country, only outrebounded the Peacocks 36-35 led by a 30-point, 16-rebound effort from First Team All-American Oscar Tshiebwe.
• Defensively, SPU held the Wildcats to 26.7 percent from downtown.

Next Up 

• A trip to the Sweet 16 will be on the line Saturday at 7:45 p.m. when the Peacocks face off with the Racers of Murray State.

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