JERSEY CITY, N.J. – The Saint Peter's men's basketball team (9-6, 6-1 MAAC) sits atop the MAAC and is looking to stay there through the weekend with home games against Rider on Saturday and Iona on Monday. Both games are scheduled to tip off at 2 p.m. ET.
At home this year, the Peacocks boast a 7-1 record, joining three other MAAC teams with one loss or fewer at home. The Broncs (2-14, 1-6 MAAC) have yet to win a game on the road, while the Gaels (12-7, 4-4 MAAC) are sitting .500 (4-4) in away games so far.
The Peacocks have been one of the hottest teams in the conference, winning five of their last six games. They have defeated Merrimack, Marist and Quinnipiac: the three teams that are directly below them in the standings.
ABOUT THE RIDER BRONCS
The Broncs are in last place in the MAAC, but are coming off their first conference win of the season with a 72-68 victory over Iona. Sophomore guard Flash Burton led the way with 21 points and four assists, while Shemani Fuller erupted for a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds. Zion Cruz brings a veteran presence to the team this year, being one of the team's five seniors. He's averaging 12.5 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game.
Since conference play began, Rider has been putting up 63.3 points per game, which ranks 12th in the MAAC. Conversely, the Peacocks allow just 61.1 points per game on defense, ranking second in the MAAC.
Rider is coached by Kevin Baggett, who is in his 14th season as head coach of the Broncs.
ABOUT THE IONA GAELS
The Gaels sit sixth in the conference with a split record of 4-4 in the MAAC. Their wins came over Sacred Heart, Siena, Niagara and Canisius, and their losses came against Quinnipiac, Mount St. Mary's, Marist and most recently Rider. Iona is led by the trio of CJ Anthony, Toby Harris and Lamin Sabally. Anthony averages 14.7 points per game, putting him seventh in the MAAC in scoring. Harris and Sabally both average double-digit points, while Sabally leads the team in rebounding, pulling in 7.8 per outing.
The Gaels are one spot below the Peacocks in scoring margin with a mark of +0.9. Saint Peter's has the fifth-best margin in the conference, averaging +3.7. Iona will pose a tough challenge for SPU from beyond the arc as the team averages 35.5 percent (177-499) from 3-point range.
Iona is coached by Dan Geriot, who is in his first season as head coach of the Gaels.
NOTES
The Peacocks are 36-45 all-time vs. Rider and 16-22 against the Broncs at home…the Peacocks are 55-76 all-time vs. Iona and 27-28 against the Gaels at home…the Peacocks have won five of their last six games…the last time the Peacocks started 6-1 in-conference was during the 2015-16 season.
