Box Score In a back and forth game that featured 7 lead changes and 4 tied scores, an 8-0 run mid-way through the second half by the visiting Manhattan College Jaspers proved to be the difference in the Peacocks 55-53 defeat.
Saint Peter's led by as many as six points four minutes into the second stanza, and maintained a five point advantage (41-36), until Manhattan formed an 8-0 run to establish an advantage they would never relinquish.
The Peacocks managed to chip away at the deficit to come within two points, but were unable to even the score or take the lead, as Desi Washington missed both field goal attempts in the final 17.5 seconds.
Washington led Saint Peter's with 15 points, and added 6 boards in the loss.
Blaise Ffrench contributed 9 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals, while Darius Conley finished with 7 points.
With the loss, the Peacocks drop to 6-7, 1-2 MAAC, while Manhattan improves to 4-9, 2-1 MAAC.
Washington helped form an early 7-4 lead over the Jaspers, pacing the hosts with 5 pts in the first two minutes of the half. The Peacocks clung to a one-point lead, until Manhattan's Rashawn Stores drained a trey from the left wing five minutes into the frame to grab a two-point advantage (9-7).
A layup by senior guard Yvon Raymond on the following possession evened the score, but the Jaspers regained the lead on a three-ball by Shane Richards less than a minute later. Manhattan managed to keep the lead for the following five minutes, until a basket in the lane by Conley, off the feed from Raymond, gave the hosts a one-point advantage (17-16).
Conley's basket sparked a 6-0 run for Saint Peter's that gave them a five-point lead (21-16) nearing the eight-minute mark.
The Peacocks maintained a lead until the visitors knocked down back-to-back treys to jump in front 22-21 at 44:48. A conventional three-point play by Manhattan's Roberto Colonette with 3:38 left to play in the half extended their lead to four (25-21).
Washington would cut the deficit to one eighteen seconds later, but Shane Richards sank two free throws on the other end to make the score 27-24.
With 1:15 remaining in the frame however, freshman Chazz Patterson drained a corner three to knot the score at 27-27. Both teams failed to score in the final minute to enter the half-time break tied.
For the half, the Peacocks shot 41.4% to Manhattan's 39.1%. The hosts knocked down 3-5 trey attempts (2 by Washington), while the visitors went 5-12 from long distance.
Saint Peter's was led by Washington's 8 first half points. Conley contributed 6 markers in the half; going a perfect 3-3 from the field.
The Peacocks opened up the second half on a 6-0 run to go in front 33-27 at 17:44.
Saint Peter's managed to keep the Jaspers off the board for the first four minutes of the stanza, until a three-point field goal by Shane Richards made the score 33-30.
Saint Peter's maintained an advantage, until a trey from the right corner by Mohamed Koita tied the game at 36. Three straight points by Ffrench over the next seventy seconds regained a three-point lead for the hosts.
A reverse layup by Washington at 12:11 extended the advantage to 5, until an 8-0 Manhattan run, capped by two free throws by Richards, put the Peacocks behind for the first time since the 3:02 mark of the opening frame. Raymond brought Saint Peter's within one after netting a basket, but the Jaspers outscored the Peacocks by a 5-1 margin over the next two minutes to establish a five point advantage (49-44)- their largest up until that point.
The Jaspers created their largest lead of the game (six points) at 3:48, until junior guard Chris Burke drove the lane to connect on a layup and draw a foul. Burke proceeded to miss the and-1 free throw that could have made it a one-possession game with 2:55 to play.
At 1:51, Markese Tucker would grab the offensive board off his own miss and bank in a jumper to make the score 55-53. Sixty-three seconds later, Raymond missed the opportunity to tie the game, failing to connect on either free throw attempt with a minute remaining in the contest.
The Peacocks had two opportunities to tie the score or take the lead in the final 17.5 seconds, but Desi Washington was blocked on a 15-foot jumper and missed a long three from straight ahead.
Overall, Saint Peter's shot 41.7% from the field, 50% from long distance and just 45% from the line. The hosts connected on 9-20 attempts from the charity stripe.
Manhattan finished 39.6% from the floor, 33.3% from three-point range and 61.5% from the free-throw line.
The Jaspers had three players in double-figures; Shane Richards (16), Rhamel Brown (11) and Mohamed Koita (10).
Saint Peter's returns to action this Sunday, as they travel to Baltimore, Maryland to face Loyola.
