JERSEY CITY, NJ – Saint Peter's University men's basketball opened up Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) play with a 70-54 wire-to-wire victory over Niagara University on Friday night at the Moore Center in Jersey City. With the win, Saint Peter's improved to 1-0 in the conference and 2-0 at home on the season.
Three Peacocks scored in double-figures with sophomore guard
Daryl Banks III leading the way with a season-high 19 points, followed by
KC Ndefo's 12 points and 11 points from
Matthew Lee.
The Basics
Score: Saint Peter's 70, Niagara 54
Records: Saint Peter's (3-2, 1-0 MAAC) | Niagara (0-2, 0-1 MAAC)
Location: John Moore Athletic Center | Jersey City, NJ
How It Happened
- Behind four made layups from four different Peacocks, Saint Peter's jumped out to an early 8-2 advantage over Niagara before leading 8-6 by the first media break.
- Ensuing the media timeout, Saint Peter's used an 8-2 run that began with consecutive layups from Fousseyni Drame and Lee, that doubled-up the Purple Eagles score (16-8).
- The Peacocks would end up without a field goal following Lee's layup for the game's next seven minutes, but the defense only allowed four points during the stretch, keeping an 18-14 lead.
- The dry spell came to an abrupt end with Banks laying in a basket, followed by a steal and ally oop from Lee to Ndefo that wound up spearheading a 9-2 run which propelled Saint Peter's lead to 27-16.
- By intermission, the Peacocks led 32-21 led by Banks' 14 points.
- Out of the locker room, the home side came out firing on all cylinders as they connected on all four of their shots from beyond the arc, jumping all over Niagara to the tune of a 51-34 advantage. All four made triples were split by Lee and Doug Edert.
- The Peacocks cruised the rest of the way, allowing the Purple Eagles to only get as close as 13 points for the remainder of the night, sealing the deal by way of an 18-point blowout win (70-52).
Notes
- This was the second time in the season three Peacocks recorded double-digit points.
- Banks had an efficient night offensively, shooting 50 percent from both the floor (7-for-14) and from behind the arc (3-for-6) in 32 minutes of action.
- Reigning MAAC Defensive Player of the Year, Ndefo, added four blocks and a pair of steals to his stat line, along with five rebounds.
- Both Lee and F. Drame posted near double-doubles as Lee dished out nine helpers with his 11 points and Drame pulled in a career-best 14 rebounds with his nine points.
- Edert also chipped in his best scoring output of the young season, accounting for nine points.
- Saint Peter's never trailed in the victory, leading for a commanding 39:40 in the contest.
- Offensively, the Peacocks couldn't miss in the second half, going 15-of-28 (53.6%) in field goals and 6-for-10 (60%) in three-pointers, while shooting over 44 percent from both spots for the game.
- The Peacocks defense held Niagara to a bad offensive outing, holding the Purple Eagles to 35 percent shooting from the field and 33 percent shooting from deep.
- Additionally, Saint Peter's forced 16 turnovers (eight steals), blocked six shots, and outrebounded Niagara 41-35.
- The triumph extended the Peacocks home winning streak over Niagara to four games, and the team has claimed five out of the last six games over the Purple Eagles in Jersey City.
Up Next
Saint Peter's and Niagara will conclude the series tomorrow night, Saturday, Dec. 12. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m.
