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NCAA Tournament: Philly's Rupert makes his mark in Saint Peter's historic win

03/26/2022, 1:15am EDT
By Ty Daubert

Ty Daubert (@TyDaubert)

You couldn’t write a better script.

Local product moves away, becomes a Division I basketball player, comes back to the Northeast to attend one of the smallest D-I schools in the country. Helps his team to the Sweet 16 as a freshman, becoming a starter during one of the most improbable postseason runs in college hoops history. 

And in his return to his hometown, plays a crucial role in making NCAA Tournament history.


Clarence Rupert (above) scored 11 points in Saint Peter's win on Friday night. (Photo: Mark Jordan/CoBL)

That was the reality on Friday night for Clarence Rupert, the Philadelphia native whose early-game heroics kept Saint Peter’s afloat in the first half as the national-darling Peacocks edged out Purdue to become the first No. 15 seed to advance to the Elite Eight. The Jersey City squad will face No. 8 seed and college basketball powerhouse North Carolina, a 73-66 winner over fourth-seeded UCLA, on Sunday.

The 6-foot-8 forward scored his team’s first seven points of the game and totaled all of his 11 points before the break for Saint Peter’s, which topped the third-seeded Boilermakers 67-64 in a East Region semifinal at the Wells Fargo Center that went down to the wire.

“He was huge for us in today's game,” Peacocks guard Matthew Lee said. “His presence down low is amazing. He did a great job defensively as well as offensively, obviously getting us into a rhythm with those early points.”

Rupert, a freshman at Saint Peter’s averaging 4.3 points per game entering Friday, went to high school in Virginia, but grew up in North Philadelphia. He considers himself a Philly guy, and his homecoming was one to remember.

After standout guard Jaden Ivey opened the game with a layup for Purdue, Rupert responded with his own. Two more baskets for the Boilermakers, another score in the lane for Rupert. Then as Purdue went ahead 9-4, the hometown kid buried a 3-pointer from the top of the key.

Converting another layup midway through the half, Rupert later finished through contact on a tough hook shot in the lane, tying the game 27-27 with 3:46 left in the first. 


Rupert (above) knocked down this 3-pointer during his early scoring run. (Photo: Mark Jordan/CoBL)

He went 5-for-6 from the field (1-for-2 from deep) in the first half, providing some reliability as the Peacocks connected on only 38.7% of their 31 shot attempts.

But, as Lee noted, Rupert made more than just an offensive impact. The forward recorded three steals and two blocks in the game, and his defensive contributions were a major factor in limiting Purdue bigs Zach Edey and Trevion Williams early in the game.

Rupert, the tallest player in the Peacocks’ rotation, helped body up against the 7-4 Edey and 6-10 Williams. Edey scored seven first-half points on 3-of-3 shooting, while Williams dropped two points in the first, going 1-for-5 from the field.

“We saw on film that when they catch the ball deep in the post, it's hard to stop them,” Lee said. “They're two of the best bigs in the country and we just did our job and pushed them out. Credit to the big guys on our team.”

Purdue made 50% of its 24 field goal attempts in the first, but the Peacocks forced nine turnovers and blocked three shots. Down 33-29 at the half, Saint Peter’s was within striking distance.

“When you're playing against teams like (Purdue) who's supposed to win,” Peacocks coach Shaheen Holloway said, “when you keep it tight, certain things can happen.”

 

Behind a spark from Rupert, Saint Peter’s trailed right behind. But he wasn’t the only role player to step up in the 10-man rotation.

Freshman guard Jaylen Murray scored six points in opportune moments for the Peacocks off the bench. The 5-11 reserve hit a shot in the paint at the first-half buzzer, which brought the deficit to four points.

Of course, some of the usual suspects were difference-makers for Saint Peter’s as well. Banks scored a team-high 14 points and put the Peacocks ahead with just over two minutes left in the game. Junior guard Doug Edert dropped 10 points, including two free throws with four seconds remaining to extend the lead to three and help ice the game.

In real time, the nation is learning what Saint Peter’s has known all along. The team is deep and dangerous, and it isn’t afraid of anyone. 

Different players will contribute more on some nights than others, but the Peacocks have numerous pieces that can affect the game. 

“That's who we are,” Holloway said. “I played 10 guys. I wasn't very happy with the way the second group was playing so I kind of took them out, but we played 10 guys. We've been wearing teams down the whole year.”

The team-wide contributions have propelled the Peacocks to historic lengths in this year’s tournament. Onto the Elite Eight, they’ll have another opportunity to keep moving forward. 

It’s anyone’s guess who steps up.


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