The 7-seeded Fairfield Stags held the 3-seeded Saint Peter’s Peacocks to 35% from the field, pushing their way to the MAAC Tournament Championship with a 52-47 win over St. Peters.
The game marked Fairfield’s 3rd win in the last 4 days. Wins over Manhattan and Monmouth shot the low-seeded Fairfield into the semifinals.
Friday’s matchup was a defensive battle from the very beginning. No St. Peters’ player that made more than 2 field goals shot more than 50%. It was ultimately this poor shooting from St. Peters that allowed Fairfield to seal the game.
Fairfield had a far from stellar shooting night in their own right. They made exactly the same number of both field goals and threes as St. Peters. Five more free-throw attempts, and 5 more makes, gave Fairfield their edge.
Ndefo throws a block party
In the first half, St. Peters’ KC Ndefo swatted a game-high 5 shots. This first-half performance topped Fairfield’s team total number of blocks in the whole game.
Ndefo, the two-time MAAC Defensive Player of the Year, also led St. Peters in scoring and rebounding. His 11-12 double-double was one of St. Peters’ few bright spots in the tough loss.
Fairfield shows its grit
The team found itself down 9-20 with under 5:30 left in the first half. They had made just four field goals at the time, and their offense was stalling.
That’s when Fairfield flipped a switch. A 13-4 run silenced St. Peters’ hot shooting. It also sent Fairfield into halftime down just 2 points.
The second half saw the beginning of a battle. The teams spent 6 minutes trading buckets. They went back and forth in the highest-scoring segment of the game.
At 12:22, Jake Wojcik had the ball for Fairfield on the left-wing. The shot clock was dangerously low, and he was running out of options. A pump-fake and a long-striding side step gave him just enough space to squeeze off a jumper. From 30 feet out, Wojcik canned the three.
More than just a circus shot, the deep three gave Fairfield a lead, 38-36. They never looked back.
St. Peters’ late push
With 2:57 showing on the clock, St. Peters’ backs were against the wall. Down 9, the team was desperate for offense.
They delivered with a 7-0 run to draw the deficit to just 2. Fairfield’ Caleb Green missed a three, and St. Peters called timeout.
The stage was set. Down two, ball-in-hand, 39 seconds remaining, a trip to the Championship on the line. A win, however, was not in the cards for St. Peters. After a 21-second possession, Doug Edert missed a fadeaway middie, and St. Peters was forced to foul.
From there, Faifield’s free-throws sank St. Peters, who would not score again in the game.
Up Next
After their heartbreaking loss, St. Peters’ season is likely over.
Fairfield, on the other hand, still has hope. Though the team has a losing record, the length of their season will be determined by their performance in Saturday’s Championship game.
The win propels Fairfield to their first MAAC Tournament Championship since 2018. They will face off against 9-seeded Iona. Iona has won 4-straight conference championships.
The winner of Saturday’s 4 p.m. Championship earns an automatic bid into the NCAA National Tournament.
