Saint Peter’s off Purdue to extend shock March Madness run into Elite Eight

Doug Edert hopped on the press table and punched his fist in the air toward a delirious section of Saint Peter’s fans – aren’t they all? – as his teammates thumped their chests and flashed eight fingers as the mayhem became a perfect Peacock party.

Edert’s giant leap toward the roaring crowd might have been his only mistake of the night.

“You jumped on a table?” coach Shaheen Holloway asked later, then paused for some serious side-eye for comedic effect.

C’mon, Coach. Let the Peacocks strut their stuff.

The upsets aren’t over yet and the tiny commuter college in Jersey City, New Jersey, is still outperforming all March expectations. Next stop: the Elite Eight, a first-time destination for a No 15 seed in the NCAA tournament.

“We’re making history,” Edert said. ”We’re looking forward to making more history.”

Daryl Banks III scored the tying and go-ahead baskets that pushed Saint Peter’s one step closer to the Final Four, the suddenly popular Peacocks thriving off a home-court edge to beat third-seeded Purdue 67-64 on Friday night.

The Peacocks (22-11) added the Boilermakers to their string of upsets and will face 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.

The Peacocks kept their composure – hey, they’re used to these wins by now after knocking off No 2 seed Kentucky and seventh-seeded Murray State – and held off a Purdue team that gamely tried to bully them inside.

“What they going to say now?” Holloway said about his team’s doubters, a group whose numbers are dwindling.

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