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Niagara, NY | Gallagher Center
Saint Peter's (3-23, 2-15) vs. Niagara (7-19, 4-13)
Saturday, February 18, 3pm
Opening Word
The Saint Peter's women's basketball team meets Niagara University Saturday in the Gallagher Center at 3pm. This will be the second time the Peacocks will face Niagara this season.
News on the Purple Eagles
Last time out the Purple Eagles lost to Siena, 70-68 on February 16. Leading Niagara was Victoria Rampado with 22 points and six rebounds. Rampado leads the Purple Eagles averaging 16.8 points and 7.9 rebounds per game.
Series History
Saint Peter's will be meeting the Purple Eagles for the 64th time in its series history. The Peacocks hold the series lead with a 45-18 advantage in the all-time series.
Last Time We Met
Talah Hughes, Janelle Mullen and Zoe Pero combined for 55 points, in a 78-66 win against Niagara University on February 18 in the Yanitelli Center. Hughes scored 21 points and Pero scored 18 points both career highs at the time while Mullen added 16 points.
Last time out
The Peacocks fell to Canisius 61-56 on February 16 in the Koessler Athletics Center. Zoe Pero posted 18 points, Hughes followed with 14 points and Sajanna added 11 points and 13 rebounds.
MAAC Student-Athlete of the Week
Talah Hughes (Beacon, NY/Beacon) was named the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Female Student-Athlete of the Week on January 24. Hughes has been the offensive leader for the Peacocks all season, averaging 13.1 points per game, which ranks 10th in the MAAC. In addition to leading Saint Peter's in scoring, the Beacon, New York native also leads the squad in rebounds and blocked shots. Hughes also ranks in the conference's top 10 in field goal shooting percentage.
MAAC Rookie of the Week
Zoe Pero earned the first weekly award of her career on Monday, Jan. 2 when she was named MAAC Rookie of the Week. She is the first weekly award winner under head coach Pat Coyle and the first player for Saint Peter's to win a weekly honor since Teresa Manigrasso was named MAAC Rookie of the Week on Jan. 23, 2011. Ironically, Manigrasso also attended St. John Vianney High School in New Jersey, the same high school Pero graduated from.
Best Start Under Coyle
Pat Coyle has guided the Peacocks to a 2-1 MAAC record for the first time under her direction.
Veterans
Talah Hughes (Beacon, NY/ Beacon HS) is a dominate player for the Peacocks averaging 12.7 shooting 47.6 percent from the field and averaging 5.3 rebounds a game. Hughes led the Peacocks topping her career-high of 22 points against Manhattan (Jan.22). In the last meet against Niagara Hughes led the Peacocks posting her first career-high of the season with 21 points on Dec. 30.
Sophomore, Janelle Mullen (Ozone Park, NY / The Hun School of Princeton) is averaging 8.3 points per game and 31.8 percent from the 3pt-range. Mullen notched her career high against Marist College (Dec.4) registering a double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds. As a Shooting guard, Mullen has become a key player for the Peacocks with smart play and keeping them in the game through scoring.
Preseason All-MAAC Second Team member, Sajanna Bethea (Levittown, PA / Pennsbury HS) notched her second 2016-17 season double-double against Brown University with 25 points and 11 rebounds on (Dec. 22). Against Bowling Green, Bethea posted 26 points and 10 rebounds (Nov. 27) at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, MA. Against Fairleigh Dickinson (Dec. 13), she came close to posting a triple-double with 11 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Bethea is currently averaging 8.3 points and 5.6 rebounds this season.
Returning Forward
Samantha Meier (Manalapan, NJ/ Manalapan HS) has served as the top role player in her two years at Saint Peter's. Meier reached her season-high of 10 points and 9 rebounds against Fairleigh Dickinson (Dec.13). Meier is shooting 39.3 percent from the field and averages 18.8 minutes a game.
Rookie Mentions
Zoe Pero (Secaucus, NJ/St. John Vianney) hit her career high of 18 points and eight rebounds against Niagara University (Dec.30) in the Yanitelli Center. Pero dedicated 31 mins and shot 10-11 from the free throw line. Pero averages 6.8 points and 4.4 rebounds a game.
Brianna Tarabocchia (Woodcliff Lake,NJ/ Northern Valley Demarest HS) notched her career-high of 11 points against nationally ranked University of Maryland (Dec. 8) at the Xfinity Center. Tarabocchia is shooting 85.7 percent from the free-throw line and averaging 13.5 minutes a game.
Sammy Lochner (Abington, PA/ Abington HS) has started each game of the 2016-17 season averaging 5.3 points a game while shooting 34.0 percent from the 3pt-line. Lochner reached her career high of 13 points against Marist College (Dec. 4) shooting 41.7 percent from the 3pt-range. Head coach, Pat Coyle has put her trust in Lochner to lead her team this season.
Ashlie Howell (Bronx, NY/Christ The King High School) averages 11.1 minutes a game while shooting 36.7 percent from the field. Howell has started once this season and has played every game this season.
Highlighted Reserves
Alyssa Velles (Franklin, CT/ Norwich Free Academy) led the Peacocks in scoring during tournament play against Maine (12 points) and Hampton (14 points). Velles is averaging 4.8 points a game. Velles reached double figures twice in the previous 2015-16 season and notched her season-high of 11 point against Brown on (Dec. 30).
New to the Squad
The Peacocks welcome four rookies to the roster this season. Sammy Lochner (Abington, PA / Abington HS), Zoe Pero (Secaucus, NJ / St. John Vianney), Brianna Tarabocchia (Woodcliff Lake, NJ / Northern Valley Demarest HS) and Ashlie Howell (Bronx, NY / Christ The King High School).
Touching on Last Season
Saint Peter's finished the 2015-16 season with an overall record of (4-26) and (2-18) in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC).
The squad won two MAAC contests, mid-season, on their home court, against Monmouth (67-62) and over Fairfield (56-46).
Saint Peter's graduated four players last season including power forward Hala Mostafa who led the team and ranked second in the MAAC for blocks and Bridget Whitfield who matched the NCAA consecutive three pointers in a game.
Saint Peter's will return seven players and add an additional four freshman to the team.
All- MAAC Team
Sajanna Bethea (Levittown, PA / Pennsbury HS) has been named to the MAAC second team in the 2016-17 preseason poll. Last season she was named Third Team All-MAAC along with averaging 12.1 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. As power forward, she posted 18 double figure games in points, seven double digit games in rebounds and four double-doubles. Bethea notched a career high of 24 points against Niagara on Jan. 17. In her collegiate career, Bethea has made 61 appearances, including 56 starts while posting 679 career points and 437 rebounds.
Back on the Lineup
Senior, Imani Martinez (Annandale, NJ / North Hunterdon (East Tennessee State) has contributed strong defense and footwork movement on the floor. Martinez averages 9.1 minutes a game.
Sophomore, Janae Mayfield (Fair Haven, NJ / Rumson Fair Haven Regional) appeared in seven games including two starts last season. Mayfield was seen in six games this season as the point guard controlling the offense.
Meet The Coaching Staff
Pat Coyle
Pat Coyle is in her fourth season as head coach. During her second season in 2014-15, the Peacocks defeated the defending league champion, Marist in the regular season and advanced to the MAAC Quarterfinals. Sajanna Bethea became the first player under Coyle to earn all-league recognition with MAAC All-Rookie honors in 2014-15 and as an All-MAAC Preseason second-team selection in 2015-16 and 2016-17.
Coyle recently served as assistant coach at Pittsburg from 2010-12, where she helped advance the Panthers to the Big East Tournament second round in her first season. For more than 10 years Coyle coached the WNBA's New York Liberty, including five seasons as head coach. As assistant coach the Liberty recorded a record of 181-187 and a 81-89 mark as head coach.
Coyle returned to the MAAC after coaching Loyola from 1993-98 where she guided them to their only two MAAC championships and NCAA appearances.
A 1982 Rutgers Hall of Fame player, Coyle returned to her alma mater to serve as an assistant coach in 1985-89. Coyle helped the Scarlet Knights to a 110-19 including two trips to "Elite 8" and two appearances in the "Sweet 16."
Coyle finished her career with 1,209 points and currently ranks 23rd in team history. As a three-year-starter, she also registered 382 rebounds, 394 assists and 192 steals in 129 career games. She is a member of the united States Olympic Festival gold medal women's basketball team in 1979 and 1980 and also won a gold medal at the 1980 Pan American Games.
Phyllis Magina
Phyllis Mangina begins her fourth season as an women's basketball assistant coach under Pat Coyle in 2016-17.Mangina returned to the coaching ranks after retiring as the women's basketball head coach at Seton Hall in 2010. Mangina was the women's basketball head coach at Seton Hall for 25 seasons where she won more than 340 games and coached three honorable mention All-Americans and 18 All-Big East selections. She guided Seton Hall to two NCAA Tournament appearances and three trips to the Women's National Invitational Tournament (WNIT).A standout point guard with the Pirates from 1977-81, Mangina led Seton Hall to a 93-28 mark during her four-year playing career.
Mangina held the Pirate records in career assists (441), assists in a season (151) and career steals (269). She is currently 11th on the all-time scoring list with 1,195 points. Mangina was one of 13 former Pirate student-athletes inducted into the Seton Hall Athletic Hall of Fame.
Antonia Smith
Former player, Antonia Smith joined the staff in her first season at her alma mater as assistant coach. Smith returns to her alma mater after serving as the U12 girls head coach of New Heights AAU travel team. Prior to becoming the head coach with the New Heights, she served as the assistant coach at Dwight School, during the 2015-16 season.
Smith played guard at Saint Peter's from 2011-15, appearing in 108 games over her four-year career, making 55 starts. She scored 728 career points, had 161 assists, grabbed 269 rebounds, and had 56 steals during her playing career. Smith recorded a career-high 26 points against Marist on Jan. 23, 2014.
Smith earned her degree in health and physical education in 2015.
