NCAA Tournament: Saint Peter's advances to Elite Eight, tops Purdue 67-64
JERSEY CITY, New Jersey (WABC) -- The Cinderella story continues for Saint Peter's University in Jersey City!
The Peacocks delivered another stunning win Friday night, this time over powerhouse Purdue.
Daryl Banks III scored the tying and go-ahead baskets that pushed the team to the brink of the Final Four, tiny Saint Peter's thriving off a home-court edge to beat third-seeded Purdue 67-64.
The Peacocks (22-11) became the first 15 seed to reach the Elite Eight, adding the Boilermakers to their NCAA Tournament string of upsets and will face either UCLA or North Carolina in the East Region final on Sunday.
Saint Peter's had the fans inside the packed Wells Fargo Center on its side from the opening tip and the arena erupted when Banks tied the game 57-all on a turnaround jumper. He hit a driving layup with 2:17 left that made it 59-57.
"They came to play," Gianny Nunez a student at St. Peter's said. "They can win and that's what they did."
The Peacocks kept their composure -- hey, they're used to these wins by now after knocking off No. 2 seed Kentucky and Murray State -- and held off a Purdue team that gamely tried to bully them inside.
"What they going to say now?" coach Shaheen Holloway said about his team's doubters, a group whose numbers are dwindling.
Almost 30 years to the day that Duke's Christian Laettner's overtime buzzer-beater stunned Kentucky to win a regional final at the since-razed Spectrum, Purdue (29-8) and Saint Peter's pulled off their own Philly classic.
Purdue's Jaden Iven buried an NBA-distance 3 with 8 seconds left that pulled Purdue within 65-64 and momentarily shushed the crowd.
No worries. Doug Edert, whose wispy mustache and goofy persona earned him a fast-food chicken endorsement deal, sank two free throws to seal the win.
The Peacocks hopped the press table and saluted fans in the first few rows. They mobbed each other and hugged and starting waving down fans and friends before they gathered at the basket to celebrate - one more time - the biggest win in program history.
Banks led the Peacocks with 14 points, Clarence Rupert scored 11 and Edert had 10. Trevion Williams had 16 points and eight rebounds for Purdue.
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Saint Peter's fans made the 93-mile ride south to help pack the arena and give the Peacocks more of an edge than they usually have at their bandbox known as Run Baby Run Arena. Consider, just 434 fans were listed as the total attendance for Saint Peter's home opener this season against LIU.
More fans than that turned out to give the team a Sweet 16 sendoff from campus this week.
Even more basketball fans -- yes, even those whose brackets the Peacocks help bust -- were suddenly rooting for the tiny commuter college in Jersey City, New Jersey, just across the Hudson River from Lower Manhattan.
And it was a proud moment for O'Leary's Publik House bar owner and Jersey City fire captain Kevin Hennessey, who played as a shooting guard and small forward for the Peacocks from 1994 to 1998.
Several of his old teammates flew in to watch the game.
"I haven't seen these guys in years man so it was a dream come true just to get back together with them," Hennessey said.
Drink and food specials will be on the menu at O'Leary's Publik House, like this peacock burger.
Hennessy is hoping for a repeat win from his alma mater for a little boost in sales this weekend.
"It's probably the best night we ever had here and we're an Irish American place," Hennessey said. "St. Patty's day is big. Last night was bigger than St. Patty's day."
As the celebrations continue. Some of the tiniest new peacock fans, like siblings Kyle and Ava Vinegra made their way down from Westwood for a campus tour after Friday's win.
"It made me proud of New Jersey," Kyle Vinegra said.
Even some local major league teams, like the New York Jets and Giants, took to social media to cheer on the Peacocks.
And Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop and Governor Phil Murphy posted on Twitter.
Saint Peter's students say they're thankful for the support and will be even more grateful for another win.
"If they keep pushing and they keep playing with their heart, they will win," Nunez said.
The Peacocks will take on the UNC Tarheels Sunday at 5:00 p.m.
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