Men's Basketball Heads to West Long Branch to Face Off Against Monmouth

The Particulars
Saint Peter's (12-11, 10-6 MAAC) vs. Monmouth (18-9, 10-6 MAAC)
Date: Friday, Feb. 25, 2022 (7 PM)
Location: OceanFirst Bank Center (West Long Branch, N.J.)
Network: ESPN3

Tip-Off

• Coming off a road loss at Siena Sunday afternoon, the Saint Peter's men's basketball team looks to bounce back Friday night as they travel to West Long Branch, N.J., to take on Monmouth in a battle of two teams currently tied for second in the MAAC standings.
• The Peacocks fell 84-70 last time out against the Saints while Monmouth picked up a 71-59 victory over Siena Tuesday night.

Looking Back at Monmouth

• In a matchup of two of the top three teams in the MAAC standings, Siena shot 52.8 percent from the floor and 45.5 from 3-point range to take down the Peacocks 84-70 Sunday inside MVP Arena.
• The Saints became just the second MAAC team to score at least 80 points in a game against the Peacocks as they dropped to 12-11 and 10-6 in the conference.
• Junior Daryl Banks III led all scorers with 16 points in the loss as the Peacocks fell into third place in the MAAC standings.
• Siena, meanwhile, led wire-to-wire in the contest and had five different players in double figures in the win.
• Senior KC Ndefo joined Banks III in double figures with 10 points while Isiah Dasher finished with nine.

The Series

• All-time: SPU leads 29-16
• Streak: SPU (2)
• Last Saint Peter's Win: 1/14/22 (W, 67-62 @ SPU)
• Last Monmouth Win: 12/18/20 (L, 78-76 @ Monmouth)

Quick Hitters

• After nearly a month between games from Dec. 18 to Jan. 14, the Peacocks have gone 9-5 in the 2022 calendar year to move to 10-6 in MAAC play and vault into third place in the MAAC.
• KC Ndefo, the two-time reigning MAAC Defensive Player of the Year heads into the contest averaging 11.3 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.8 blocks per game in MAAC contests this season.
• Daryl Banks III leads the Peacocks offensively overall on the season averaging 11.1 points per game this season. Banks has scored in double figures 13 times this season with nine of those performances coming in MAAC games.
• SPU heads into the contest with one of the top defenses in the MAAC, leading the conference and ranking 52nd in DI allowing just 64.8 points per game.
• The contest against Siena is the third of a three-game road trip for the Peacocks. SPU will close the season playing four of its final six games away from Run Baby Run Arena.
• The Peacocks took down the Hawks 67-62 in Jersey City in their first matchup earlier this season. Banks III led SPU with 13 points off the bench while Ndefo chipped in 12 points and eight boards in the win.
• After the win over Fairfield on Friday, Feb. 18, SPU won its 10th MAAC contest for the third consecutive season. It is the first time the Peacocks have won double-digit conference contests in three straight seasons since 1986-89.

Shot BlocKing

• The 2021-22 MAAC Preseason Player of the Year, Ndefo now has a program-best career total of 275 blocks, good for the fifth-most among active players in DI.
• In the home win over Quinnipiac on Friday, Feb. 4, Ndefo swatted 11 shots to set the single-game program record for blocks in a game. It was tied for the second-most blocked shots all-time in a MAAC game.
• After leading the country in blocks per game in 2020-21, Ndefo is atop the MAAC and is 17th in the country with 2.65 blocked shots per game this season.

Money From the Stripe

• Banks III is one of the top free throw shooters in the country, leading the conference and ranked 18th in the NCAA shooting 88.9 percent from the line.
• From Nov. 27 to Jan. 26, Banks III made 34 straight free throws which is currently the fourth-longest streak in Division I this season.
• Doug Edert, meanwhile, is second in the MAAC shooting 88.0 percent from the line this season. He has missed just six free throws this season.

Defense Wins Championships

• The Peacocks have allowed under 70 points in 12 of their last 15 games and hold a 11-5 record this season when allowing less than 70.
• Thus far this season, SPU leads the MAAC in 3-point field goal percentage defense and steals per game while ranking second in the conference in opponents' field goal percentage, blocked shots per game and turnovers forced per game.
• Coming into the contest, the Peacocks rank 35th in the NCAA in opponents' 3-point percentage and 41st in overall field goal percentage defense.

Balancing Act

• SPU has had one of the most balanced groups in the country this season and have had 17 consecutive games with at least eight different scorers.
• Offensively, nine different players have scored in double figures in a game this season.
• Of the 12 student-athletes who have seen action in a game this season, 11 have at least one start. Additionally, all 12 are averaging at least 10 minutes per contest.

Threes Please

• SPU is now ranked first in the MAAC and 57th in the country shooting 36.5 percent from 3-point range as a team this season.
• Edert leads the way for the Peacocks and sits atop the conference shooting 44.7 percent from downtown on the year which would rank sixth in the country.
• Banks III also ranks inside the top-10 in the MAAC shooting 39.2 percent from deep.

Matching Up With Monmouth

• Monmouth heads into the contest with the Peacocks at 18-9 overall and 10-6 in MAAC play, currently tied with both SPU and Siena for second place in the standings.
• The Hawks are coming off back-to-back home victories over Rider and Siena and are now 8-3 in their last 11 games dating back to Jan. 20th.
• Graduate student George Papas is the top scorer for Monmouth, averaging 15.4 points per game, the third-most in the MAAC this season. Papas was the leading scorer the last time the Hawks faced off with the Peacocks with 16 points and ranks eighth in the NCAA in 3-point field goal attempts this season.
• Graduate students Walker Miller and Shavar Reynolds also both are averaging in double figures as well with Miller scoring 15.0 points per game and Reynolds chipping in 14.0 per contest. In total, Monmouth has three of the top-10 scorers in the MAAC.
• As a team, Monmouth has been dominant on the boards this season, leading the league with 37.6 rebounds per game. They also rank first in the MAAC in total rebounds, defensive rebounds per game and field goal percentage defense.
• Outside of Papas, the Hawks have struggled shooting the ball from downtown this season, ranking ninth in the league in both 3-point field goal percentage and 3-point field goals per game.

Up Next

• SPU will return home Sunday when they host Niagara on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. The contest will be preceded by a Hall of Fame ceremony for the SPU HOF Class of 2022 and the inductees will be honored at halftime of the game.
• The Peacocks knocked off the Purple Eagles 74-68 in overtime in their first meeting of the year on Jan. 21.

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