(15) St. Peter's Upsets (7) Murray State In Cinderella Victory, 70-60, For The Peacocks

Saturday wasn't short of Cinderella wins.

Continuing the saga of underdog wins were the 15th-ranked St. Peter's Peacocks, defeating the seventh-seeded Murray State Racers, 70-60, and advancing to their first Sweet 16 appearance in team history.

Seeding was obsolete in the matchup as the Peacocks held a commanding lead throughout. Heading into the half up 32-27, the Peacocks outworked Murray on the boards, in the paint and on the sidelines.

St. Peter's coach Shaheen Holloway ensured that his team's momentum resumed coming out of Thursday's upset win over the 10th-seeded San Francisco squad, arguably the biggest victory coming out of the first round.

"That's what we do all year. Y'all hear me?" said the coach. "This is what we do all year. This is who this team is. This is a defensive team."

He added, "This is why we came into this tournament with a seven-game winning streak because these guys understand that playing defense wins championships. Playing defense wins championships. And these guys bought in, and the rest is history."

The 6-foot-7 KC Ndefo elevated St. Peter's with a double-double (17 points, 10 rebounds). Ndefo produced a highlight-worthy block against Murray State's KJ Williams in the second half.

Murray State guard Justice Hill was a spark on offense when St. Peter's limited the team's presence in the key.

Stepping up for the Peacocks was reserve guard Doug Edert, who scored 13 off the bench.

"I would say it comes from repetitions," said Edert in the postgame interview. "I always do my best to get as many shots as I can. I don't
think about anything when I'm in the game. I just let it happen.

Hill knocked down five of his nine three-point attempts and led Murray State with 19 points. He also added four assists and two blocks.

Four of Murray State's starters scored in double digits. The offense spewed fumes from their bench as the Racers' limited depth combined for 1-of-5 shooting and three total points.

Free throws were an added bane from the Racers' outing: shooting 64 percent compared to St. Peter's 74.2 percent from the line.

The Peacocks will face off against the victor from Sunday's Purdue (3) versus Texas (6) matchup.

Follow along on Twitter: @AlejandroAveela