Box Score HARTFORD, Conn. – Hartford held off Saint Peter's in the waning minutes to come away with a 51-50 victory in non-conference men's basketball action on Sunday.
The Hawks (1-1) took the lead for good after three-straight treys by Taylor Dyson in the final six minutes of the game, but the Peacocks (0-2) nearly rallied from a nine-point deficit in the closing minutes of the game.
With 39 seconds left, Quadir Welton (Philadelphia, Pa./Math, Civics and Science Charter) recorded a tip-in to trim the margin to 49-48. Marvin Dominique (Miramar, Fla./Miramar [Fordham]) stole the ball on the ensuing inbounds play, but Saint Peter's turned the ball over with 21 ticks on the clock.
Mark Nwakamma made both free throws with 20 seconds left to restore a three-point edge at 51-48. After a timeout with 10.8 seconds left, Dominique drove the lane and dunked the ball home with seven seconds left. Trevis Wyche (Neptune, N.J./Saint Peter's Prep) then stole the ensuing inbounds play, but the Hawks swarmed around him quickly and his desperation shot as time experienced sailed over the basket.
Dominique paced Saint Peter's with 19 points and 14 rebounds while Wyche added eight points and four assists in the loss.
Dyson fueled Hartford with 15 points, connecting on all five attempts from behind the arc.
In a seesaw battle where each team grabbed at least a seven-point advantage on the afternoon, the Hawks took the advantage in the final six minutes and held off a furious Peacocks team to earn its third-straight win in the series.
After Dominique tied the game on a jumper at 38 with 7:23 left, Dyson gave Hartford the lead for good on a 3-pointer at 7:04. Dyson then hit another trey with one second on the shot clock at 5:48 and then gave the Hawks a 47-38 lead with a falling down 3-ball with 5:05 left.
Saint Peter's made it a one-point game twice in the final minute. Jamel Fields (Albany, N.Y./Cheshire Academy [Fairfield]) started the comeback with a triple at 4:12. After Nate Simka hit 1 of 2 at the line, Wyche nailed a 3-ball with 2:04 on the clock to trim the margin to 48-44. Chazz Patterson (Brown Hills, N.J./Trenton Catholic) then made two charity tosses with 85 seconds left to make it a two-point contest.
Moore the hit 1 of 2 with 61 seconds left to restore a 3-point margin only to see Welton with a tip-in basket to cut it to 49-48. After Nwakamma hit two free throws, Dominique dunked it home and even after a Wyche steal Hartford was able to escape with the victory.
The Hawks started the game on an 8-1 run thanks to baskets from three different players in the first three minutes.
The Peacocks answered with a 12-2 run to grab a 13-10 advantage with 9:54 left in the first half. Tyler Gaskins (Roswell, Ga./Centennial [Lawson State]) started the run with a layup before Dominique scored in the paint and from downtown to tie the game at 8 at 11:41. Elisha Boone (Laurelton, N.Y./Abraham Lincoln) and John Carroll traded points before Dominique hit two free throws after a technical foul on Harford at 10:07 and Boone hit 1 of 2 at the line for a three-point edge midway through the first half.
The Hawks responded with a 6-2 spurt to regain the advantage at 16-15 with 7:31 remaining in the stanza.
Wyche then scored the next five points to give Saint Peter's a 20-16 edge. Wyche scored on a pair of acrobatic layups at 4:31 and 3:51 and converted the free throw on his first basket.
After Sikma scored five-straight points to regain the lead for Hartford at 21-20 with 2:20 left, Welton scored in the lane and Fields hit two free throws to give the Peacocks a 24-21 lead. Patterson increased the margin to six points on a steal and dunk with 26.2 seconds left. Carroll scored on a layup in the waning seconds of the half make the score 26-23 in favor of Saint Peter's at the break.
Saint Peter's scored the first two baskets in the second half to take its largest lead at 30-23 with 17:30 remaining. Gaskins and Welton each scored in the paint to start the final stanza.
The Hawks then used a 15-4 run to grab a 38-34 advantage with 8:20 on the clock. Nwakamma and Corban Wroe each had four points in this stretch, including Wroe converting a four-point play.
Dominique answered with a dunk at 8:01 and a layup at 7:23 left, but Dyson scored nine-straight points and Hartford held on for the 51-50 victory.
Patterson, starting for an injured Desi Washington (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin [Delaware State]) made his first collegiate start in the contest and finished the game with four points, three rebounds and two steals. Welton added six points, four rebounds and two blocks.
The Peacocks return to action when they make their Yanitelli Center debut and open up Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play against Niagara on Thursday at 7 p.m. It will be the first time in program history Saint Peter's will play a league game in November.
It will be Veteran's Appreciation Night and any former member of the military that comes to the game will be admitted to the contest for free with proper identification. Saint Peter's will also be holding a can food drive with the proceeds going to the Saint Peter's University Soup Kitchen. In addition, the first 100 students in attendance will receive a drawstring backpack.
