The Particulars
Saint Peter's (0-2, 0-0 MAAC) vs. Wagner (2-0, 0-0 NEC)
Date: Wednesday, Nov. 17 (7:00 PM)
Location: Spiro Sports Center (Staten Island, N.Y.)
Network: NEC Front Row
Tip-Off
- The Saint Peter's men's basketball team travels back into the state of New York for the second straight game as they head to Staten Island to take on Wagner College at 7:00 p.m. Wednesday.
- The Peacocks come into the matchup after narrowly falling 91-70 on the road at St. John's last Saturday while the Seahawks took down Virginia Commonwealth University 58-44 in Richmond, Va., Saturday.
Looking back at St. John's
- Freshmen Jaylen Murray and Clarence Rupert both scored in double figures but the Peacocks could not overcome 10 Red Storm first half 3-pointers, falling 91-70.
- SJU came out of the gates hot, starting the game by jumping ahead 27-9 with 18 of their first 27 points coming on 3-pointers.
- SPU showed fight, however, as the Johnnies held just a 57-56 edge over the final 27 minutes of game action.
- Playing in just their second collegiate contests, both Murray and Rupert were strong off the bench as they each produced 11 points. Murray did most of his damage from downtown, going 3 for 3 from 3-point range while Rupert was extremely efficient, going 4 for 5 from the floor in the contest.
The Series
- All-Time: Saint Peter's Leads 35-17
- Streak: Wagner (1)
- Last Saint Peter's win: 12/11/2010 (51-50 @ Wagner)
- Last Wagner win: 11/20/2019 (81-77 OT @ SPU)
Scouting the Seahawks
- Wagner is led offensively by graduate student Alex Morales who averages 17.5 points and 8.0 rebounds per game after producing a 20-point, 11-rebound game in Saturday's win over VCU.
- Coming off the bench, graduate student Will Martinez is currently second on the team with 13.5 points and 5.5 boards per contest on the year while leading the NEC with a 4.5 assist-to-turnover ratio.
- Graduate student Elijah Ford also averages double-digit points per game after he put up 14 points in just 20 minutes against VCU.
- The Seahawks have played stifling defense early in the 2021-22 season as they rank 18th in the nation allowing just 51.5 points per game.
- Wagner took down the University of Hartford 77-59 in their season opener at home before their win over the Rams last Saturday.
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). 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 a season ago, and classmate Doug Edert who has been one of the league's elite 3-point shooters over his first two seasons in Jersey City.
- SPU got fantastic production from a pair of freshmen off the bench Saturday against St. John's as both Jaylen Murray and Clarence Rupert scored in double figures with 11 points apiece. Both players average over 5.5 points per game despite appearing in less than 14 minutes per contest this season.
- The Peacocks will be looking to avoid a repeat start of the 2019-20 season when they dropped each of their first three matchups, capped off by an 81-77 overtime loss at home against the Seahawks.
Up Next
The Peacocks will compete at home for the first time this season next Tuesday, Nov. 23, when they take on Long Island University at 7:00 p.m.
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