NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. - Coming off of a big win at home, the Saint Peter's men's basketball team (15-9, 12-4 MAAC) hops back on the road this week for games at Iona and Siena. The Peacocks are scheduled to tipoff against the Gaels at 7 p.m. ET on Friday night before playing the Saints at 2 p.m. on Sunday.
Three of the Peacocks' four remaining regular season games take place on the road and that begins on Friday. These last four contests have major MAAC Tournament seeding implications with all the top teams separated by just a couple of games.
Merrimack sits in first followed by Saint Peter's, Siena, Quinnipiac and Marist. The next four teams in the standings each have eight conference wins, so there could be a huge shakeup in the bracket as Atlantic City approaches.
Saint Peter's identity has been toughness and strength in numbers all season. Those themes have translated to the court as the Peacocks rank third in the conference in total defense while causing the third most turnovers in the MAAC.
ABOUT THE IONA GAELS
The Gaels have gone on a bit of a skid recently, dropping four of their last five games while being ranked 10th in the conference. With four games remaining on the schedule, Iona is fighting with Niagara for the final spot in the MAAC Tournament. The four teams above the Gaels in the standings each have one more conference win than them. The Peacocks won the first matchup between the the two teams, which took place in Jersey City.
Iona is led by the duo of CJ Anthony and Lamin Sabally. Anthony averages 14 points per game, putting him 13th in the MAAC in scoring. Sabally averages double-digit points, while leading the team in rebounding with 7.9 boards per outing.
Iona is coached by Dan Geriot who is in his first season as head coach of the Gaels.
ABOUT THE SIENA SAINTS
The last time the Peacocks faced the Saints they put an end to Siena's six-game winning streak with a five-point victory. Since then, Siena has gone 1-1 falling to Quinnipiac before picking up a bounceback win over Marist. The Saints have to play the top-seeded Merrimack Warriors on the road Friday before playing Saint Peter's on Sunday.
The Saints are led by Gavin Doty and Justice Shoats who have been a problem for opposing teams all year. Doty is averaging 17.1 points per game which ranks fourth in the MAAC. He's also recording 7.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists a night. Shoats is averaging 13.5 points and a team-high 4.5 assists.
Siena is coached by Gerry McNamara who is in his second season as head coach of the Saints.
NOTES
The Peacocks are 56-76 all-time vs. the Gaels and 28-48 against them on the road…the Peacocks are now 55-48 vs. the Saints and 19-30 against them on the road…Saint Peter's is coming off an 83-point scoring output against Fairfield, its most points scored in a conference game all season…the Siena Saints sit one-spot behind the Peacocks in the MAAC standings with four games remaining.
