Box Score LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. – Freshman Trevis Wyche (Neptune, N.J./Saint Peter's Prep) keyed a 13-3 run in the second half to power Saint Peter's to its third-straight win after the Peacocks defeated Rider 77-69 in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) men's basketball action on Thursday.
After the Broncs (8-8, 4-3 MAAC) tied the game at 35, Wyche made a 3-pointer to give the Peacocks (7-9, 3-4 MAAC) the lead for good with 15:24 left and then added a traditional 3-point play in the decisive 13-3 run to lift his team to the victory. The freshman is averaging 14.0 points per game in his last three games to help Saint Peter's to its first three-game MAAC win streak in three seasons.
Desi Washington (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin [Delaware State]) paced the Peacocks with 21 points while Marvin Dominique (Miramar, Fla./Miramar [Fordham]) added 16 points in the winning effort.
Daniel Stewart led all-scorers with 28 points for the Broncs (8-8, 4-3 MAAC) while Jimmie Taylor chipped in 14 points in the loss.
Saint Peter's controlled the lead for most of the game and took the lead for the final time in the first five minutes of the second half to end a five-game losing streak against Rider and win three-consecutive conference games for the first time since 2010-11.
After Stewart tied the game at 35 with 15:49 left in the second half, Wyche gave the Peacocks the lead it would not relinquish on a 3-pointer at 15:24. Taylor answered with a layup at 13:59 before Saint Peter's rolled off a 10-1 spurt to grab a 48-38 advantage midway through the final frame.
Elias Desport (Stockholm, Sweden/Solna Gymnasium) started the run with a layup off an offensive rebound at 13:37 before Wyche converted a traditional 3-point play at 12:05 for a seven-point lead.
Taylor momentarily halted the run with a free throw at 11:59, but Dominique nailed a jumper at 10:32 and Jamel Fields (Albany, N.Y./Cheshire Academy [Fairfield]) converted two free throws to give the Peacocks a 48-38 lead with 10:11 on the clock.
The Broncs chipped away at the margin, cutting it to five points with 4:46 left and again with 2:37 left after a pair of Stewart layups.
Taylor trimmed the deficit to 64-60 with 1:06 left after a 3-pointer and then the game became a free throw contest with each team making a pair of free throws over the next four possessions to give the Peacocks a four-point lead with 40 seconds left.
Wyche then made two free throws with 38 seconds left to give Saint Peter's a 70-64 lead and Rider could get no closer the rest of the way.
The Broncs jumped out to a 12-9 lead in the first half after outscoring Washington 12-9. The junior made three triples in the first five minutes and 28 seconds of the game.
With the score tied at 16, the Peacocks went on a 5-0 run after Chris Burke (Willingboro, N.J./Willingboro) nailed a trey at 8:27 and Desport made two at the line at 7:39 for a 21-16 lead and the squad would hold onto the margin for the rest of the half.
Khalil Alford answered with a 3-pointer at 6:33 to cut the margin to two points only to see Saint Peter's score the next seven points to grab a 28-19 advantage. Washington started that spurt with a 3-pointer at 5:51 before Desport made two charity tosses at 4:55 and Fields scored in the lane at 4:09.
The Broncs closed the half by scoring seven of the final 10 points to go into the locker room trailing 31-26. Rider then scored the first four points in the second stanza to tie the game at 31 after a Kahlil Thomas free throw with 18:39 left.
The two teams would trade baskets for the next three minutes before Wyche gave Saint Peter's the lead for good.
Desport finished the game with a career-high eight points after making 6 of 7 from the charity stripe. Burke also added eight points in the win.
The Peacocks are 8-3 when Washington reaches 20 points in his career.
Saint Peter's returns to action at Marist on Monday. Game time is 7 p.m.
