Box Score ALBANY, N.Y. – Senior Desi Washington (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) keyed a first-half run to extend the lead and then help seal the game in the closing minutes of the second stanza on his way to 22 points and lead Saint Peter's past Rider 68-59 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Men's Basketball Tournament Quarterfinals on Saturday.
With the win, the Peacocks (16-17) advance to the MAAC Tournament Semifinals for the first time since the 2010-11 season and for the 16th time in team history. The Jersey City team will face No. 3 Manhattan in the semifinals on Sunday at the Times Union Center after the Jaspers downed Marist 74-58 in the quarterfinals. Game time is 7 p.m.
It will be the 11th meeting in the postseason with each team winning five times, but Manhattan has won five of the last six in the MAAC Tournament, including a 72-58 decision last year in the quarterfinals. It will be the third meeting between the two programs in the semifinals with each team winning one matchup.
Washington scored 12 of his game-high 22 points in the first half, including seven-straight points to help extend a four-point lead into 14 points going into halftime. The senior recorded all 10 second-half points at the foul line, going a perfect 10-for-10 at the line with eight of the 10 freebies coming in the final 69 seconds to seal the victory. Washington went 15-for-16 from the foul line on the night.
Marvin Dominique (Miramar, Fla./Miramar) scored 15 points, including draining consecutive 3-pointers in the second half when the Broncs (21-11) were making a run to try and tie the game.
Khalil Alford and Jimmie Taylor each had 10 points for Rider in the loss.
In the first postseason meeting since 2010 Rider grabbed the lead on the first possession, but then Saint Peter's took the lead and held onto the lead while sustaining several Broncs comeback attempts to end a four-game losing streak against Rider and a three-game skid against the Garden State rival in the league postseason.
After Rider scored the first basket of the game, Saint Peter's answered with the next nine points to grab a 9-2 advantage.
Jamel Fields (Albany, N.Y./Cheshire Academy) started the Peacocks scoring with a trey at 19:08 before Tyler Gaskins (Roswell, Ga./Centennial) scored in the lane at 17:34. Fields then converted a traditional 3-point play for his sixth point of the evening at 16:14 before Patterson made 1 of 2 at the line at 15:21 for a seven-point lead.
The Broncs used a 7-2 run to trim the margin to 12-9 midway through the first half thanks to four points from Junior Fortunat.
The Saint Peter's lead then teetered around four points for the next five minutes. With the Peacocks holding a 22-18 lead, the squad closed the stanza on a 12-2 run to take a 34-20 advantage.
Dominique started the run with a dunk at 4:08 before Washington went on a 7-2 run. The senior traded a basket with Shawn Valentine before converting two free throws at 2:21 and draining a trey at 1:55. Dominique ended the half with a triple of his own with 82 seconds left to send the Peacocks into the locker room with a 34-20 advantage.
The break may have slowed Saint Peter's and assisted Rider going into the second half after the Broncs started the final stanza with a 12-1 run to trim the margin to 35-32 with 16:10 on the clock. Taylor had five points and Anthony D'Orazio added four points in the stretch to make it a one-possession game.
Powered by eight points by Dominique, the Jersey City squad went on an 8-1 run to stretch the margin back to double figures at 43-33 with 12:23 left. After Dominique scored in the lane at 14:15, Fortunat hit 1 of 2 at the line at 13:53 before Dominique drained consecutive treys at 13:07 and 12:23 for a 43-33 advantage.
Rider scored the next four points on baskets by D'Orazio and Taylor to cut the margin to six points with 11:47 on the clock.
It was sophomore Trevis Wyche's (Neptune, N.J./Saint Peter's Prep) turn to step up for Saint Peter's. The sophomore drained a trey sat 11:17 and then turned his own steal into two free throws at the 11-minute mark before Chazz Patterson (Brown Mills, N.J./Trenton Catholic) made 1 of 2 at the line to extend the margin to 49-37 with 10:32 left.
The Broncs answered with 6-0 run thanks to three points from Alford to make it a seven-point game with 6:57 remaining.
Quadir Welton (Philadelphia, Pa./Math, Civics and Science Charter) halted the run with a layup at 6:11 and Washington made two free throws at 4:56 for a 53-42 edge. After Alford scored in the lane at 3:51, Patterson hit what may have been the dagger with a triple at 3:27 to restore a double-digit lead at 56-44.
Rider had one last gasp and trimmed the margin to 56-49 with 2:12 remaining, but the Peacocks closed the game by connecting on 12-for-14 from the free throw line the rest of the way to seal the victory.
Fields posted eight points in the first half while his point guard counterpart Wyche registered seven points, five assists, four rebounds and three steals. Gaskins also had seven points and Patterson registered five points and six rebounds in the win.
Saint Peter's went a season-best 30-for-39 from the free throw line. The Peacocks are 3-0 at the Times Union Center this season and have won three straight.
Saint Peter's advances to its second MAAC Tournament Semifinals under head coach John Dunne.
Manhattan swept the season series with the Peacocks in a span of nine days. The Jaspers defeated Saint Peter's in Riverdale 68-63 on Jan. 7 and then won a 72-65 decision in overtime on Jan. 16.
