Men's Basketball Takes on Fairfield in MAAC Quarterfinals

The Particulars
Saint Peter's (16-11, 14-6 MAAC) vs. Fairfield (15-17, 8-12 MAAC)
Date: Wednesday, March 9, 2022 (9:30 PM)
Location: Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall (Atlantic City, N.J.)
Network: ESPN+

Tip-Off

• After picking up four straight wins to close out the regular season, the Saint Peter's men's basketball team returns to action Wednesday night in the Quarterfinals of the MAAC Tournament against Fairfield.
• These two teams met less than a week ago as the Peacocks picked up a 57-41 victory over the Stags on March 5 inside Run Baby Run Arena. Fairfield is into the quarters after taking down #10 Canisius in the first round Tuesday night.

Last Time Out

• In his final contest inside Run Baby Run Arena, senior KC Ndefo had a phenomenal performance with 14 points, seven rebounds, six blocks and three assists to lead the Peacocks to a 57-41 win over Fairfield to lock up the #2 seed in the MAAC Tournament.
• As they have during the entirety of their current four-game winning streak, the Peacocks played stifling defense, holding their third straight opponent under 52 points as they closed the regular season 16-11 overall and 14-6 in MAAC play. 
• The 14 wins matches a program record for most wins in conference play set in both the 2019-20 and 2016-17 seasons.
• Fairfield, meanwhile, dropped to 14-17 overall and 8-12 in the league as both teams now enter the MAAC Tournament looking to win the title and clinch a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
• Ndefo was joined in double figures in the contest by Daryl Banks III who finished with 11 points to score at least 10 points in his fifth consecutive game.
• The Peacocks, who came into the contest ranked 29th in the country in scoring defense, lowered their team scoring average to 62.4 points per game.

The Series

• All-time: Saint Peter's leads 63-61
• Streak: SPU (3)
• Last Saint Peter's Win: 3/5/22 (W, 57-41 @ SPU)
• Last Fairfield Win: 2/13/21 (L, 55-50 @ SPU)

Quick Hitters

• After nearly a month between games from Dec. 18 to Jan. 14, SPU has gone 13-5 in the 2022 calendar year to finish 14-6 in MAAC play and vault into second place in the MAAC.
• KC Ndefo, the MAAC Defensive Player of the Year heads into the contest averaging 11.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.6 blocks per game in MAAC contests this season. He was named Second Team All-MAAC earlier this week and is now the three-time defending MAAC Defensive Player of the Year.
• 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 17 times this season with 13 of those performances coming in MAAC games including each of the last five contests.
• SPU heads into the contest with one of the top defenses in the MAAC, leading the conference and ranking 22nd in DI allowing just 62.4 points per game.
• 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 286 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 15th in the country with 2.54 blocked shots per game this season. Prior to the contest, Ndefo was named the MAAC Defensive Player of the Year for the third straight season.

Money From the Stripe

• Saint Peter's has the best two free throw shooters in the MAAC in Doug Edert and Banks III. Edert is the now the MAAC leader shooting 88.1 percent from the stripe this season while Banks is second shooting 87.8 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.
• In total, the duo has missed just 16 free throws in 133 attempts headed into the contest.

Defense Wins Championships

• The Peacocks have allowed under 70 points in 16 of their last 19 games and hold a 15-5 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 25th in the NCAA in opponents' 3-point percentage and 18th 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 21 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 9.0 minutes per contest.

Threes Please

• As a team, SPU is ranked second in the MAAC shooting 35.0 percent from 3-point range as a team this season.
• Edert leads the way for the Peacocks and sits third in the conference shooting 42.0 percent from downtown on the year which would rank 18th in the country if he met the NCAA qualifying number of attempts.
• Banks III also sits in the top-11 in the MAAC shooting 36.7 percent from deep to rank 11th overall.

Crashing the Boards

• The Peacocks are one of the top rebounding teams in the MAAC, leading the league with a +3.5 rebounding margin this season.
• SPU has done a marvelous job on the offensive glass this season as they sit atop the conference and 74th in the country with 11.3 offensive rebounds per game.
• Positive results on the boards has been a strong indicator of success for the Peacocks this season as they have outrebounded their opponent in 10 of their 16 victories on the year.

Scouting the Stags

• Fairfield comes into the contest with a 15-17 overall record and closed the regular season 8-12 record in MAAC play.
• The Stags defeated #10 Canisius 72-50 in the opening round of the MAAC Tournament Tuesday thanks to a strong 19 point effort from Jesus Cruz while also not allowing a single Golden Griff to score in double figures.
• Graduate student Taj Benning is the leading scorer for the Stags averaging 10.8 points per game. Benning has scored in double figures in 11 of the last 18 games including 15 points in the win over Canisius.
• Sophomore Supreme Cook has been a force in the middle all season averaging 10.0 points and 8.3 rebounds per contest. Cook is third in the league with seven double-doubles this season and ranks second in the MAAC in rebounding.
• As a team, Fairfield takes great care of the basketball as they rank second in the conference with just 11.2 turnovers per contest. The Stags also play strong defense sitting behind only the Peacocks in scoring defense allowing 65.6 points per game.
• Fairfield has struggled at times this season forcing mistakes on the other end, however, ranking 11th in the conference with only 11.3 turnovers forced and 5.4 steals per game.
• A season ago, Fairfield knocked the Peacocks out of the MAAC Tournament in the semifinals as the #7 seed with a 52-47 victory.

Up Next

• The winner of the contest between the Stags and the Peacocks will go on to play in Friday night's semifinal matchup at 8:30 p.m. against the winner of #3 Siena and #11 Quinnipiac.

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