The Particulars
- Saint Peter's (0-1, 0-0 MAAC) vs. St. John's (1-0, 0-0 BIG EAST)
- Date: Saturday, Nov. 13 (4 p.m.)
- Location: Carnesecca Arena (Queens, N.Y.)
- Network: FS1
Tip-Off
- The Saint Peter's men's basketball team travels to Queens, N.Y., for the second straight season to take on St. John's in a non-conference matchup Saturday on FS1.
- The Peacocks come into the matchup after narrowly dropping a 57-54 decision on the road at Virginia Commonwealth University Tuesday night while the Red Storm took down Mississippi Valley State 119-61 Tuesday at home.
Looking back at VCU
- Trailing by as many as 17 points in the first half, SPU stormed all the way back to take the lead with less than two minutes remaining against perennial NCAA Tournament fixture VCU, but could not hold on as they fell 57-54 on the road in the season opener.
- Preseason MAAC Player of the Year KC Ndefo hit a running layup with 1:59 left on the clock to give the Peacocks their first lead of the game but the Rams were able to respond with a putback layup of their own from Hanson Ward with less than 30 seconds remaining and added a pair of free throws late to improve to 1-0 on the year, dropping SPU to 0-1.
- Junior Doug Edert led all scorers in the game with 17 points after going 5 for 7 from the 3-point range to reach double figures for the 19th time in his collegiate career.
- Senior KC Ndefo was also solid in the contest with 10 points, four rebounds, one block, one assist and one steal.
The Series
- All-Time: St. John's leads 19-0
- Streak: St. John's (19)
- Last Saint Peter's win: N/A
- Last St. John's win: 11/25/2020 (76-75 @ St. John's)
The Rematch
- The 2020 contest between the Peacocks and the Red Storm was the closest matchup between the teams in the history of the two programs.
- In last season's game, SPU held a 75-71 lead with less than 30 seconds remaining after a pair of free throws by Matthew Lee.
- The Johnnies were able to take the lead late, however, on a layup and a 3-point basket off a turnover to escape with a 76-75 win at home.
- Ndefo led the Peacocks with 16 points going 7 for 9 from the floor while adding seven rebounds, three blocks and three steals.
- SPU will be looking to knock off St. John's for the first time in program history.
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).
Up Next
The Peacocks will once again venture into the state of New York Wednesday as they travel to Staten Island to take on Wagner University at 7:00 p.m.
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