Box Score WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. – Chris Burke (Willingboro, N.J./Willingboro) scored 12 of his team-high 16 points in the second half to lead Saint Peter's past Monmouth 61-51 in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) men's basketball action on Saturday.
Burke finished the game 5-for-8 from the floor, 3 of 5 from behind the arc and 3 of 5 from the free throw line to help the Peacocks (11-16, 7-11 MAAC) to its second-straight win. The senior stuffed the stat sheet after adding six rebounds, three steals and a block.
Desi Washington (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin [Delaware State]) added 14 points, including 12 points in the first half while Marvin Dominique (Miramar, Fla./Miramar [Fordham]) added 12 points and nine rebounds in the winning effort.
Josh James fueled the Hawks (10-19, 4-14 MAAC) with 18 points while Andrew Nicholas chipped in 10 points in the loss.
Saint Peter's took the lead midway through the first half and held on to sweep the season series with Monmouth in the first year of the Hawks in the league.
After Monmouth started the game on a 9-2 run, Saint Peter's answered with a 15-4 run to take a 17-13 lead with 6:31 left in the first half.
Washington was the catalyst for the run, scoring the first six points on a free throw (13:37), a 3-pointer (12:17) and a jumper (11:37) to cut the margin to 9-8.
Nicholas momentarily halted the run with a layup to give the Hawks an 11-8 edge with 11:15 on the clock only to see the Peacocks roll off the next six points. Kris Rolle (Miami, Fla./Monsignor Edward Pace [Colby CC]) started the 6-0 run with a layup at 10:42 before Quadir Welton (Philadelphia, Pa./Math, Civics and Science Charter) made 1 of 2 at the line at 9:27 and Fields nailed a trey at 8:37. After two Collin Stewart free throws at 7:26, Dominique nailed a jumper with 6:31 left.
With Saint Peter's holding a 19-16 lead, the Peacocks scored the next six points to grab a 25-16 lead. Washington opened the spurt with a jumper at 3:40 followed by a dunk by Burke at 3:24 and two free throws by Burke at 2:47 for a nine-point edge.
Monmouth scored seven of the next nine points to trim the margin to 27-23 after a Brown layup with 33 seconds left, but Dominique drilled a trey with four seconds left to give Saint Peter's a 30-27 lead going into the locker room.
The Peacocks scored the first five points of the second half after a Burke trey at 19:24 and a Dominique layup at 18:49 to take its largest lead at 35-23.
Monmouth trimmed the margin to six points over the 14 minutes and got as close as five points after a Deon Jones free throw with 1:56 left, but could get no closer the rest of the way.
Led by Trevis Wyche's (Neptune, N.J./Saint Peter's Prep) 7 for 8 from the foul line, the Peacocks closed the last two minutes of the game by making 12 of 14 from the charity stripe to seal the 61-51 victory. All seven of Wyche's points in the contest came at the line in that stretch.
The win ended a five-game road-losing streak. The squad now finishes the season at home with two games where the team has won its last three tilts at the Yanitelli Center. The win also means the Peacocks will not finish any lower in the standings than eighth place.
Saint Peter's returns to action on Tuesday at home against Fairfield. Game time is 7 p.m.
