The Particulars
Saint Peter's (14-11, 10-8 MAAC, 2020-21) vs. NJCU (7-1, 5-1 NJAC, 2020-21)
Date: Monday, Nov. 1 (7 p.m.)
Location: Run Baby Run Arena (Jersey City, N.J.)
SAINT PETER'S UNIVERSITY SPECTATOR POLICY
Opening Tip
For the first time in 18 months, there will be basketball in the Yanitelli Center.
The Saint Peter's University men's basketball team will usher in a historic new era with its first game inside the transformed Run Baby Run Arena, as the Peacocks welcome New Jersey City University for the first contest of the 2021-22 campaign in another installment of the Battle of the Boulevard on Monday (Nov. 1) night. Tip-off for the exhibition matchup is set for 7 p.m.
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.
Run Baby Run
- Monday will also double as the grand opening and dedication of the newly renovated Run Baby Run arena.
- Members of the famed 1967-68 men's basketball team that captured the heart of the city with its upset win over Duke in the NIT Tournament – and for whom the court is named after – will be in attendance for a special halftime recognition ceremony.
Five Things to Know
- Saint Peter's, which recorded its second consecutive trip to the semifinal round of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Championship – and fourth in its last five years – is entering Year 4 of head coach Shaheen Holloway's tenure. It does so with lofty expectations after being picked to finish second in the 2021-22 MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll and buoyed by the entirety of its starting lineup from last year's 14-win team that finished third in the conference standings.
- Headlining the group of returners is rising senior forward KC Ndefo, who claimed the honor of 2021-22 MAAC Preseason Player of the Year, as well as a spot on the preseason all-league first team. Ndefo's junior campaign was nothing short of remarkable after he bulldozed his way into the record books after leading the nation in blocked shots and finishing eighth in the MAAC in steals. He led the Peacocks and posted career-highs with 342 points (13.7 ppg), 162 rebounds (6.5 rpg), 91 blocks (3.6 bpg) and 38 assists (1.5 asg) and became the program's all-time single-season and career blocks leader.
- Junior guard Daryl Banks III – who was named to the Preseason All-MAAC Second Team – was the lone Peacock to start in all 25 games and average more than 30 minutes (30.6) last year while finishing second in scoring average (11.0 ppg), assists (2.3 apg) and steals (1.2 spg). The Los Angeles native ranked alongside the best in the MAAC in scoring (22nd), three-point shooting (11th), steals (13th), assist/turnover ratio (11th), and minutes (15th).
- Other key returners include junior forwards and twin brothers Fousseyni Drame and Hassan Drame, both of whom ranked among the top-15 in the conference in rebounding with averages of 7.0 and 5.7 boards per game, respectively.
- Classmate Doug Edert has been one of the league's elite 3-point shooters over his first two seasons in Jersey City and nailed 1.4 triples per game (20th/MAAC) last winter, while fellow junior Matthew Lee has blossomed into one of the conference's most underrated players and top point guards after finishing last season ranked in the league's top-five in assists per game (3.6) and assist/turnover ratio (1.4).
The Series
- All-time: Saint Peter's leads, 21-7
- Streak: Saint Peter's (2)
- Last Saint Peter's Win: 11/7/19 (W, 88-61, at SPU)
- Last Saint Peter's Win: 11/7/19 (W, 88-61, at SPU)
Up Next
Saint Peter's will open the regular season in earnest when it heads to perennial Atlantic 10 contender VCU next Tuesday (Nov. 9) for a 7 p.m. showdown in Richmond.
