Box Score JERSEY CITY, N.J. – Desi Washington (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin [Delaware State]) scored nine of his season-high 26 points in the final two minutes and 40 seconds to lead Saint Peter's past Marist 79-67 in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) men's basketball action on Sunday.
After the Red Foxes (1-13, 0-4 MAAC) used a 22-7 run to trim a 17-point deficit into a one-possession game at 64-62 with 2:54 left, Washington then drained a 3-pointer at 2:40 and then handed out an assist on a Tyler Gaskins (Roswell, Ga./Centennial [Lawson State]) trey at 58 seconds later to extend the Peacocks (8-7, 2-2 MAAC) lead to 70-62. The senior then went 6-for-6 from the foul line in the final minute to seal the victory.
Washington finished the game 7-for-10 from the floor, 3 of 6 from behind the arc and 9 of 10 from the foul line to finish with his first 20-point performance of the season with a season-best 26 points while also adding five rebounds and three assists.
Gaskins added 16 points while Marvin Dominique (Miramar, Fla./Miramar [Fordham]) tallied 12 points and eight rebounds and Quadir Welton (Philadelphia, Pa./Math, Civics and Science Charter) chipped in 11 points in the winning effort.
Chavaughn Lewis paced Marist with 20 points while K.J. Lee and Manny Thomas each had 11 points in the loss.
Saint Peter's jumped out to the lead in the first couple minutes of the contest and held the lead for the rest of the game, but after stretching the lead to 17 points had to stave off a furious comeback attempt from the Red Foxes to earn its fourth-straight win and eighth in the last 11 games.
Trailing 4-2 in the first half, Gaskins tied the game at 4 on a jumper and Washington gave the Peacocks the lead for good on a triple at 16:43 for a 7-4 advantage.
With Saint Peter's holding a 9-8 edge, the Peacocks scored the next seven points to extend the lead to 16-8 with 12:29 left in the stanza powered by four points from Washington and a 3-pointer from Dominique.
The Red Foxes were able to claw their way back to make it a two-point game three times in the first half, but could not even the score. After Lewis hit a trey at 3:53 to trim the deficit to 31-29, Saint Peter's closed the final three and a half minutes of the half on a 13-2 run to go into the locker room with a 44-32 lead.
Dominique started the run with a jumper at 3:25 before Gaskins hit a 3-ball at 2:51 for a 36-29 margin. Washington and Welton followed with baskets before Marist momentarily halted the offensive outburst with a Lewis 3-pointer at 1:16 to cut the margin to 40-32. The Peacocks then scored the final four points of the half thanks to a Dominique jumper with 28 seconds left and two free throws from Washington with 24 ticks on the clock to head to the break with a 12-point lead.
Saint Peter's extended its lead to 57-40 for its largest of the afternoon with 12:46 left after a Washington free throw.
Powered by nine points from Lewis, the Red Foxes went on a 22-7 run over the next nine minutes and 52 seconds to cut it to a two-point game with 2:54 on the clock after two charity tosses by Lewis. Washington then nailed a trey and an assisted on a Gaskins downtown basket to regain control for the Peacocks on their way to the team's second-straight win against Marist.
The Peacocks recorded its second-best shooting performance of the season, finishing 25-for-46 from the floor including 10 of 20 from behind the arc to notch a season-high 79 points. The squad had four players score double figures for the first time this season.
Washington, who has 1,374 career points between Saint Peter's and Delaware State, has scored 973 points in his three seasons in Jersey City. The senior needs 27 points to become the 30th player in team history to score 1,000 points in a Saint Peter's uniform.
Saint Peter's is now 8-7 on the year to mark the first time the team has recorded a winning record after 15 games since 2010-11.
The Peacocks return to action when they start a three-game road trip at Manhattan on Wednesday. Game time is 7 p.m. The Jaspers won all three meetings last season, including a 72-58 decision in the MAAC Quarterfinals. The two teams will complete the season series in a span of nine days after Manhattan comes to the Yanitelli Center on Jan. 16 at 7 p.m. for an ESPN3 contest.
