Saint Peter’s maintains MAAC lead, locks down Fairfield for third straight win

Shaheen Holloway continues to turn Saint Peter’s around, holding grip on MAAC lead with win over Fairfield Sunday. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

By Ray Floriani (@rfloriani)

Special to Daly Dose Of Hoops

JERSEY CITY, N.J. — One month ago, Saint Peter’s suffered a road loss to Fairfield.

Sunday afternoon, the Peacocks, as they have been apt to do in recent weeks, reversed their fortunes in a big way.

Saint Peter’s, in a defensive masterpiece, clamped down on the Stags, taking a 61-44 decision at Yanitelli Center for its seventh win in its last eight games. At 13-11 overall, the Peacocks stand alone in first place in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference at 10-5, a half-game ahead of Siena.

Adamant about coming out and setting the tone, Saint Peter’s jumped out to a 9-2 lead just over two minutes into the contest. The Peacocks looked to get out and run, and attack the basket. Offensively, the early going set the tone for the game. On the defensive end, Saint Peter’s alternated full court pressure with a 2-3 zone in half-court situations. Throughout the game, Saint Peter’s threw different defensive looks the opposition’s way. 

After the fast start, Fairfield slowly closed to within two possessions late in the first half. The Peacocks, though, finished the opening stanza, strong taking a 31-20 lead into the intermission, feasting upon a 26-13 advantage on the boards, 7-3 on the offensive end.

“It’s something we discussed preparing for this game,” Shaheen Holloway said. “In our loss up there, we let them have too much on the offensive boards. We emphasized not allowing them to extend possessions.”

Credit Majur Majak with literally having a hand in that. The 7-foot-1 Peacock sophomore blocked three shots in the first half, while altering several more. The defense continued to dominate as Fairfield struggled to mount an offensive attack of any significance. Aaron Estrada continuously shredded the Fairfield defense with dribble penetration. The freshman guard scored a game-high 20 points. 

“I thought I could get by the defense and get to the basket,” Estrada explained. “If they played off of me, I was prepared to shoot the outside shot. Coming up and playing me close, I knew I was able to get by my man and get inside.”

Fousseyni Drame added 11 points for Saint Peter’s while pulling down a game-high 10 rebounds. Fellow freshman Daryl Banks III added 10 points. 

“We executed very well,” Holloway said. “I’m happy with the way we came out and how we did what we planned to do.” 

And one of those things planned, as noted previously, was winning the boards. Saint Peter’s held a 46-29 advantage off the glass, 11-6 offensively. Majak finished with four points to complement his five rejections. His presence in the lane, forcing Fairfield shooters to rush, change or even pass up shots in the paint, cannot be numerically measured. 

“He comes to practice to work every day,” Holloway said. “The more he plays, the more confidence he’s getting. He’s improving and such a big part of our success as of late.”

Following a weekend sweep over Quinnipiac this past Friday and Fairfield Sunday, a big road test awaits the Peacocks at Manhattan this coming Friday.

“Protecting your home court is big,” Holloway said. “We were able to do that. Manhattan will be a test, but really, we tell the team in the locker room, every game is big. They’re all important games. That’s the way we approach every opponent.”