Box Score JERSEY CITY, N.J. – Canisius nips Saint Peter's 60-57 on a 3-pointer with 4.8 seconds left in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) men's basketball action on Wednesday.
Kevin Bleeker hit a 3-pointer with 2:01 left to give the Golden Griffins the lead at 57-54 only to see Travis Hester (Crozet, Va./The Miller School [Harcum CC]) tie the game at 57 on a trey in the corner with 38 seconds left. Canisius then ran the clock down and Zach Lewis nailed a 3-pointer with 4.8 seconds left for the decisive basket and to sink the hearts of the Peacocks' fans for the second-straight year. Trevis Wyche (Neptune, N.J./Saint Peter's Prep) then raced down the court and his 3-point attempt hit the rim and bounced out as time expired.
Lewis hit a triple as the shot clock expired with 15 seconds left in last year's final meeting at the Yanitelli Center to seal a 67-63 Golden Griffins' win on Jan. 4, 2014.
Elisha Boone (Laurelton, N.Y./Abraham Lincoln) paced Saint Peter's (2-6, 0-2 MAAC) with a career-high 11 points along with five rebounds. Marvin Dominique (Miramar, Fla./Miramar [Fordham]) and Quadir Welton (Philadelphia, Pa./Math, Civics and Science Charter) each added 10 points while Dominique also grabbed eight boards in the loss.
Phil Valenti powered Canisius with 14 points while Lewis added 12 points and Josiah Heath chipped in 10 points and seven rebounds in the winning effort.
Saint Peter's led for the majority of the contest only to see the Golden Griffins rally in the second half and come away with their fifth-straight win against the Peacocks. Saint Peter's has lost its two conference games by a combined five points.
With the Peacocks holding a 48-42 lead with 8:43 left after a Welton layup, Canisius closed the game on an 18-9 run to steal the win at the Yanitelli Center.
Valenti started the run with a 3-pointer at 7:01 before Boone scored in the lane at 6:39 to restore a five-point lead. The two teams then traded a three for a two again with Valenti knocking down his second triple at 6:20 and Dominique scoring in the lane at 5:52 for a 52-48 lead for Saint Peter's.
The Golden Griffins then scored the next six points to take a 54-52 edge with 4:06 on the clock. Jan Grzelinski and Jermaine Crumpton each hit jumpers to tie the game at 52 with 4:45 left before Jamal Reynolds gave Canisius a 54-52 margin with a layup at 4:06.
Dominique tied the game with a jumper at 3:42 before Bleeker and Hester traded treys to keep the score knotted and then Lewis hit the decisive 3-ball with 4.8 seconds left for the game-winning bucket.
The tilt started as a seesaw battle midway through the first half before Saint Peter's used an 11-0 run to take a double-digit lead at 22-12 with 8:07 left in the first half. Hester had six points and Boone had five in that span.
The Peacocks maintained a 10-point lead with 3:17 left in the stanza before the Golden Griffins closed the half with an 8-2 run to go into the locker room trailing 28-24 and the two points from Saint Peter's was a Wyche to Boone alley-oop as time expired.
Saint Peter's extended its lead back to eight twice in the second half and also held a seven-point lead, but Canisius slowly chipped away at the margin to give Lewis the chance to win it in the waning second of the contest.
The Peacocks finished the game 6-for-15 from the free throw line. Gaskins and Hester each ended with nine points. Wyche registered six points and five assists on the night.
Saint Peter's now has lost four of its six games this year by a combined eight points and in each of those contest the squad had either a chance to win or tie the game in the closing seconds of the game.
The Peacocks have played six times in the last 12 days, but will now play five tilts over the next 22 days.
Saint Peter's return to action at Boston University on Saturday. Game time is 2 p.m.
