Opening Tip
- Following an impressive win over La Salle on Friday afternoon to round out the Lapchick Tournament and the first week of the season, the Saint Peter's University men's basketball team will host Stony Brook on Tuesday night at the Moore Athletics Center at NJCU. Tip time is 6 p.m.
- The contest was added to both schools' schedules over the weekend after Stony Brook's planned season opener at Bryant was postponed. The Seawolves also were slated to host Sacred Heart on Tuesday, but that game was canceled, leading to the mutual open date for the two schools.
- The Peacocks bounced back from a last-second loss to St. John's in the season opener with a convincing victory over Atlantic 10 foe La Salle on Friday afternoon. Saint Peter's held the Explorers to just 19 first-half points and erased an early eight-point deficit before pulling away in the second half, leading by double digits for most of the second stanza.
- A 20-win team a year ago, Stony Brook is back on the hardwood for the first time since March 10, which was when they fell to third-seeded Hartford in the semifinal round of the America East Tournament by a 64-58 margin. The Seawolves went 10-6 in league play last winter.
Inside The Series
- Tuesday night's tangle will be just the second ever between Saint Peter's and Stony Brook. Each side has won a game apiece, coincidentally enough on the road.
- The two schools, separated by just over 50 miles, squared off in back-to-back seasons as part of a home-and-home exchange in December of 2008 and 2009.
- The last time they met was on December 28, 2009, out on Long Island; Saint Peter's emerged victorious that afternoon by way of a 67-46 decision. A year prior, the two schools met on the same date at the Yanitelli Center, an 18-point win for the Seawolves (68-52).
Closing The Books on 2019-20
- Despite the abbreviated ending, Saint Peter's is coming off of a remarkable 2019-20 campaign that saw the Peacocks "arrive" ahead of schedule, at least in terms of the prognostications.
- After being picked to finish in ninth place according to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference's preseason coaches' poll, Saint Peter's put the league on notice by posting a 14-6 mark in conference play and was in contention for the MAAC regular season title up until the last game.
- Ultimately, the program settled for second place -- by a single game -- and posted wins against every other school in the conference for the first time in history.
- The Peacocks won four-of-five end-of-year conference awards, becoming the only school in MAAC history to do so. Head coach Shaheen Holloway was recognized for his masterful performance by claiming Coach of the Year honors; rising junior KC Ndefo earned both Defensive and Sixth Player of the Year accolades, and then-freshman Aaron Estrada was the league's Rookie of the Year.
- Saint Peter's also set records with nine MAAC home wins, and 14 overall conference victories.
- Peacock rookies shined last winter, as a record five freshmen won at least one MAAC Rookie of the Week award, a league record. They combined to win 10 weekly honors, a school record.
Big Bounce Back
- Saint Peter's bounced back after a heartbreaking defeat in its season opener against St. John's by dispatching Atlantic 10 member La Salle in impressive fashion last Friday.
- Sophomore wing Fousseyni Drame was the star of the show, as his 19 points, eight baskets and three steals either tied or set career highs; his eight rebounds were two shy of his personal best.
- Sophomore Daryl Banks III tied his single-game high with four made triples; he finished with 14 points, with all of his field goals coming from long range in that outing.
- Junior wing KC Ndefo added another block alongside 11 points and seven rebounds, while sophomore Matt Lee set a new career best with 10 assists, becoming the first player to post 10 dimes in a game since Elijah Gonzalez (Siena, Feb. 25, 2018).
Early Hardware
- While the Peacocks, as a team, settled for runner-up honors for the season-opening Lapchick Tournament hosted by St. John's, two individuals claimed all-tournament accolades in sophomore Fousseyni Drame and junior KC Ndefo.
- The two wings finished the week with impressive stat lines; Drame posted a team-high 31 points over the two games (15.5 ppg) and hauled down 13 boards (6.5 rpg) while adding a team-high four steals and a block.
- Those efforts earned Drame his first career MAAC Player of the Week award; he was named the top weekly rookie three times in 2019-20.
- Ndefo finished with 27 points between the two games (13.5) and held the slight edge with 14 rebounds; the reigning MAAC Defensive Player of the Year is living up to those accolades with four blocks and three steals through two games.
Looking Ahead
The Peacocks' next scheduled game as of now is their opening weekend of MAAC play when they host Niagara on back-to-back days December 11-12. The 2020-21 schedule, however, remains fluid and additional games remain a possibility and will be announced in the near future.
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