Top Moments: Men's Basketball Snaps Siena's Streak

Despite the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, Saint Peter’s University Athletics returned to the playing surface this past academic year and put together a series of incredible moments that instilled great pride.

To honor the incredible student-athletes and all they accomplished in 2020-21, in the month of July, the athletics department will look back at some of the most memorable moments every Tuesday and Friday.

Setting The Stage

Following two consecutive postponed series due to COVID-19 related issues around the MAAC, the Saint Peter's men's basketball team returned to the hardwood after a 20-day hiatus when the team visited Loudonville, New York for a Friday night showdown with Siena College. The ESPNU nationally televised game -- selected as part of the MAAC/ESPN Wildcard Game package -- was played on Friday, Jan. 22, 2021 at 7pm in Alumni Recreation Center on the campus of Siena. The contest featured the MAAC's top-two teams from 2019-20, with the Peacocks entering the meeting 6-5 overall and 3-3 in the MAAC, while Siena was a perfect 6-0 both overall and in conference action to start 2020-21.

The Drought vs. The Steak

• At Siena, Saint Peter's was riding a six-game losing streak, having not won in the Capital Region since 2015, its longest league road drought.
• The Peacocks had also dropped 7-of-8 meetings to the Saints on the road.
• Meanwhile, Siena entered the game looking to make history; winners of a Division I program-tying record 16 straight.
• The Saints also boasted the nation's eighth longest active home win streak -- also 16 straight -- and the 6-0 start was the program's best mark to a season in 35 years.
• The silver lining in the series, Saint Peter's was the last team to defeat Siena before their 16-game winning streak began on Feb. 2, 2020 by way of an 85-80 victory in Jersey City.

First Half

• Saint Peter's only lead of the first half came on the game's first bucket, a made three-pointer by Daryl Banks III that would put the team up 3-0.
• Siena would ride a 12-2 run that put the Peacocks in a 12-5 hole early on in the meeting, SPU's largest deficit in the half.
• The Peacocks remained within a handful of points and late down the stretch with under a minute to play in the half, KC Ndefo banked in a turnaround jumper in the paint to knot the contest at 29-29.
• At the halfway point, Saint Peter's trailed Siena 31-29.

10-minute Peacock Pummel 

• After scoring 29 total points in the first 20 minutes of play, Saint Peter's came out of the locker room on a mission, out-scoring Siena 26-8 in the opening 10 minutes of the second half.
• Consecutive layups by Babacar Diallo --- his first career field goal --- and Ndefo, gave the Peacocks their first lead since 3-0 (35-34).
• Following ties at 35 and 37, Matthew Lee accounted for four straight Peacock points to make the lead 41-37.
• Holding a 43-39 advantage, Marty Silvera completely took the game over.
• The freshman guard snagged his own miss and scored a putback layup to begin a Peacock rally.
• Succeeding a pair of free-throws which Silvera also made, he then drained a long trifecta from the far wing, to extend the solo run to seven and the lead to 50-39.
• He followed that up with a steal and fast break layup to give Saint Peter's a 52-39 lead, single handedly administering a 9-0 run by himself.
• Lee would add a long ball of his own to propel the Peacocks' advantage to 55-39 --- the largest lead of the night --- with 10:13 to play.
• During the 10-minute span, Saint Peter's had five different players score, with Lee and Silvera leading the pack with nine points each.
• As a unit, the Peacocks connected on 10-of-15 field goals (perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc) while holding the Saints to 2-for-9 shooting from the floor and forcing them into four turnovers.

Seal the Deal 

• Despite the hot run to begin the half, SPU eventually cooled off, running into a 7:45 minute scoreless drought, allowing Siena to pull within four points.
• The scoring slump would falter when Banks hit a triple from the corner while also getting fouled, ending in a four-point play and 59-51 lead with 2:27 remaining.
• Banks put the Peacocks back ahead by 10 on a made layup with a minute and a half to go (61-51).
• Siena would cut into the lead again, getting within as much as three-points (63-60) with 29 ticks left, but clutch free throw shooting down the stretch helped Saint Peter's hold on for the 68-62 road win.

Game Notes

• For just the second time during the season, five Peacocks surpassed double-figure scoring. 
• KC Ndefo led the offensive charge with 16 points, followed by season-high marks from Hassan Drame (13) and Marty Silvera (12), while Daryl Banks III and Matthew Lee chipped in with 11 points each.
• Ndefo, the nation's leader in blocked shots, picked right back up where he left off, swatting six shots to match his career-high.
• It was the fifth time in his stellar career that he rejected six shots.
• The forward also pulled in a team-leading seven rebounds on the night.
• In addition to his season-high night in scoring, H. Drame also stuffed the stat sheet with five boards, an assists, block and steal.
• Silvera also matched his season and career best marks with four rebounds to go along with his career night in points.
• Banks went above double-figures for the ninth time this campaign and added a team-leading two steals, while Lee surpassed the 10-point threshold for the sixth time.
• Saint Peter's had its best three-point shooting performance of the season, going .583 (7-of-12) from beyond the arc and the squad shot over 42 percent from the floor (22-of-52).
• The Peacocks controlled the glass, out rebounding the Saints 39-30, including 11 offensive boards that were converted into 14 second chance points.
• The win by Saint Peter's snapped a six-year, five-game losing streak at Siena, having last defeated Siena on the road back in 2015.
• This also ended Siena's program record 16-game winning streak, with the Peacocks being the last team to beat the Saints prior to the streak on Feb. 2, 2020 in Jersey City.

Stay tuned for future Top Moments of 2020-21 in the weeks ahead!

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