EDISON, NJ (Feb. 8, 2022) – The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) today announced, the February 18 men’s basketball game between Fairfield University and Saint Peter’s University will be flexed to ESPNU as part of the MAAC Wildcard Game package. Tip-off will be 7 p.m. at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
The matchup is a rematch of the 2021 MAAC semifinals, in which the Stags edged the Peacocks 52-47 to earn a spot in the MAAC finals last season. This will be the first meeting between the two sides since last year’s tournament game, in what has historically been a defensive clash. In games between Fairfield and Saint Peter’s over the past decade, both teams have combined to surpass the 70-point threshold just four times and neither team has reached 70 points in a game against the other since 2017.
The Fairfield Stags (10-12, 4-7 MAAC) are currently just outside of the top half of the conference standings, in a three-way tie for seventh place. Despite the Stags standings, the team has won the second-most away games in the league, winning seven games on the road during 2021-22. Leading Fairfield on the offensive front are Taj Benning, Jake Wojcik, and Supreme Cook, which all average in double figures for the season. Benning is the team-leader in points, scoring 11.4 points per game, tied for 16th on the MAAC leaderboard, while ranking fifth in assists to turnover ratio and 15th in assists. Wojcik is a shade behind Benning, holding the 18th best conference scoring average with his 11.2 points per contest, while also making 2.3 triples per game, the fourth most three-pointers made in the league. Cook, who is tied for second in total rebounds on the MAAC charts, adds 10.2 points to each game in addition to his 7.9 rebounding average. As a squad, Fairfield is the best in the MAAC at protecting the ball, holding a league-low 11.0 turnovers per game and the conference’s lowest turnover total.
Still remaining in sole possession of second-place on the MAAC standings, the Saint Peter’s Peacocks (11-8, 9-3 MAAC) have been one of the hottest teams in the league since the calendar turned to 2022. The Peacocks have won eight out of 10 games through the first two months of the year and are a perfect 5-0 at home inside of Run Baby Run Arena during the timeframe. Saint Peter’s enters this week having won back-to-back games last week, topping Quinnipiac (83-74) on Friday and Marist (66-50) on Sunday. The trio of Daryl Banks III, KC Ndefo, and Doug Edert are scoring over nine points per game to lead the Peacocks. Banks, the team leader in points is tied for 16th in the MAAC (along with Benning) with his 11.4 scoring average and is the most efficient free-throw shooter in the conference, making .912 percent at the charity stripe, the 12th best percentage in the nation. Ndefo follows, averaging 9.7 points per game and he remains the best rim protector in the MAAC, rejecting a league-leading 2.5 blocks per outing. Edert is averaging 9.4 points and is the best outside shooter in the conference, successfully connecting on .460 percent of his three-point field goals. The top defensive unit in the MAAC, the Peacocks lead the conference in scoring defense and steals, while ranking second in blocks and forced turnovers.
The MAAC Wildcard Game format allows ESPN to pick any game scheduled for that specific date to air on ESPNU and allows the MAAC and ESPN the flexibility to showcase the best matchups as the season progresses.
The 2021-22 campaign culminates with the 2022 Hercules Tires MAAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships from March 8-12 at Atlantic City's Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall. Stay up to date with all MAAC basketball by visiting
MAACSports.com/basketball and by following @MAACHoops and #MAACHoops on Twitter. The road to AC!
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 41st year of competition during the 2021-22 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.
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