PHILADELPHIA (March 25, 2022) - It's not even close to Midnight for this Cinderella story.
As they have already done multiple times this postseason, the Saint Peter's University men's basketball team made more history by becoming the first No. 15 seed in NCAA March Madness history to advance to the Elite Eight after taking down third-seeded Purdue, 67-64, in the Sweet 16 on Friday night at Wells Fargo Center.
With the win, the Peacocks have extended the nation's longest win streak to 10 straight games, as they improve to 22-11 overall this season.
The Peacocks were led offensively by three players in double figures, including Daryl Banks III -- who finished with 14 points -- while freshman and Philadelphia native Clarence Rupert produced 11 points, all in the first half, while junior Doug Edert dropped 11 off the bench.
SPU played lock-down defense throughout the contest once again, holding the Boilermakers to their second-lowest point total in a loss this season.
As the only #15 seed to advance to the Elite Eight, the Saint Peter's Peacocks have established themselves as one of the best Cinderella stories in the history of the NCAA.
SPU's magical run will continue on Sunday, when they face off against North Carolina with a trip to the Final Four on the line.
How It Happened
- After Purdue raced out to an early 9-4 lead, the Peacocks took the edge for the first time in the contest with a 7-1 run highlighted by a 3-pointer from Rupert, just his second made shot from beyond the arc this season.
- With the score 11-10, the two teams traded four straight buckets on alternating possessions capped off by a 3-pointer from Edert to tie things up at 17 with 9:35 left in the half.
- Tied at 27 at the under-four timeout, Purdue created some separation with six straight points to grab their largest lead of the game, but freshman Jaylen Murray ensured the deficit would be just four at the break, hitting a layup at the buzzer to make the score 33-29 heading into the locker room.
- The Peacocks continued that momentum from the first half and into the second as the Murray layup ultimately started a 10-0 run that bridged two halves giving SPU a 37-33 lead.
- The Boilermakers answered the rally with 10 straight points of their own to re-take a 41-37 lead.
- Isiah Dasher and Matthew Lee tied things up at 45 with back-to-back 3-pointers but Purdue responded with a quick 4-0 flurry to take a 49-45 lead into the under-8 timeout.
- Coming out of the timeout, the Peacocks, who have had contributions from a large number of players throughout this run, got five straight points from Fousseyni Drame including a huge 3-pointer to put SPU on top 50-49.
- Purdue was able to grab the lead right back with five straight points, but Edert was fouled on a 3-point attempt and calmly stepped to the line and buried all three shots at the line to make the score 56-55 with 4:00 left to play.
- A made free throw put the Boilermakers back up by two, but that lead did not last long as Banks III hit back-to-back jumpers and Hassan Drame knocked down a pair of free throws to give SPU a 61-57.
- It then became a free throw battle down the stretch with Lee and Banks III both knocking down two to push the Peacocks on top 65-61.
- The next trip down, Jaden Ivey nailed a 3-pointer for the Boilermakers to cut the deficit down to one with eight seconds left.
- The Peacocks were able to inbound the ball to the best free throw shooter in the MAAC, Edert, who drilled both foul shots and gave SPU a 67-64 lead with four seconds remaining.
- The Boilermakers were able to get a shot off before the buzzer, but Ivey's heave from distance was short and SPU clinched the three-point victory.
Inside the Numbers
- Rupert, a Philadelphia native playing in front of his home crowd, had the best half of his young career in the first stanza, nearly setting a new career-high with 11 first half points.
- The Peacocks were phenomenal from the charity stripe all night going 19 for 21 from the line including hitting 11 of their last 11 shots down the stretch.
- The SPU defense was tenacious all night forcing 15 turnovers while committing just eight, one off a season-low. The Peacocks are now 8-1 when committing 11 or less turnovers in a game.
- Winning the turnover battle translated into an 11-6 edge in points off turnovers.
- The Boilermakers did a lot of their damage down low with 36 of their 64 points coming in the paint. They struggled from deep, however, going just 5 for 21 from 3-point range in the contest.
- While he didn't have a huge scoring night, KC Ndefo still had a strong impact on the game with four points, four assists and three rebounds in 19 minutes of game action.
- Both Lee and Hassan Drame were huge down the stretch with seven points apiece while Murray added six and Fousseyni Drame had five.
- The score changed hands 15 times and the contest was tied 10 times in the back-and-forth battle.
- Nine different players scored in the game marking the 27th straight game with at least eight different scorers.
- SPU has now held nine of their 10 opponents on the 10-game win streak under 70 points.
Next Up
- The Madness continues Sunday when the Peacocks take on #8 North Carolina at 5:09 p.m. with a trip to the Final Four on the line.
- It will be the first-ever meeting between the Tar Heels and the Peacocks.
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