FAIRFIELD, CT- The Saint Peter's women's basketball team (6-10, 1-4 MAAC), came back from a 20-point deficit late in the third quarter to defeat Fairfield, 68-65 on Tuesday morning. Freshman guard
Briyanah Richardson scored a career-high 39 points for the Peacocks in the win.
Game Notes vs. Fairfield:
- The Peacocks had a slow start to the game, falling behind 9-0 early in the first quarter.
- Richardson finally broke through for the Peacocks with 4:35 left in the period and then went on to score the first six points after the Stags' 9-0 run to start the game.
- The Peacocks were down 10 points going into the second quarter.
- Richardson opened up the second quarter scoring a layup and drawing the foul to make it a three point play, cutting the Stags' lead to seven points.
- Saint Peter's had six straight free throws between Wil'lisha Jackson and Zoe Pero, and Richardson sank a trifecta to put the Peacocks down 42-26 at halftime.
- The team came out of the break strong on defense, holding Fairfield scoreless for the first 4 minutes and 34 seconds of the third quarter.
- The Stags then responded by taking their largest lead of the game, 20 points, at the 2:50 mark.
- After that lead, the Peacocks answered with an 11-0 run starting at the 2:24 mark.
- Richardson hit a buzzer beating 3-pointer to close the third quarter, cutting the Stags' lead to nine points going into the final quarter.
- Pero and Richardson dominated in the third quarter, scoring all the points for the Peacocks; Richardson had 10 points and Pero had seven points to close the quarter.
- That was the first quarter the Peacocks came out on top, outscoring the Stags 17-10.
- Going into the final quarter, Richardson drew another 3-point play on a layup,shortening Fairfield's lead to six points.
- The Peacocks went on an 8-0 run midway through the period, going 8 of 8 from the free throw line, bringing the team down just one point, 60-59.
- A jumper by Pero gave the Peacocks their first lead of the game, but Fairfield sank two free throws to regain the lead, 62-61, at the 3:16 mark.
- Richardson responded with an off-balance 3-point basket at the shot clock buzzer, taking the lead again at 64-62.
- Fairfield took back the lead again off of free throws, going up 65-64 at the 1:04 mark.
- After a Saint Peter's timeout, Richardson drove to the basket and made the layup with 12 seconds left, giving the Peacocks the lead 66-65.
- The Stags took one last shot to try to win it, but Jackson grabbed the rebound forcing Fairfield to foul.
- Jackson knocked in both free throws, securing the Saint Peter's comeback win, 68-65.
Inside The Numbers:
- Richardson had a career-high 39 points in the game, going a perfect 5 for 5 from behind the three and 8 for 9 from the free throw line while also grabbing four rebounds and handing out four assists.
- She becomes the first Peacock to score over 30 points in a game since Jynae Judson scored 34 points on December 7, 2010, against Lehigh.
- Richardson's 39 point performance is also tied for 9th in the MAAC record book for most points in a conference game, making her the first Peacock to crack the MAAC record book in the category.
- Pero added 17 points for the Peacocks, adding on five rebounds and four blocks.
- Cinnamon Dockery added a career high seven steals and three rebounds against Fairfield.
- Jackson totaled six points for the Peacocks while also grabbing a team high of nine rebounds.
- The road victory at Fairfield was the first for Saint Peter's since January 29, 2002.
Coaches Quote - Marc Mitchell:
- "Really proud of our young team battling through adversity today."
- "Briyanah Richardson is a special talent and we are fortunate to have her."
- "This win was a total collective effort from the entire team."
Up Next:
- The Peacocks continue on the road on Friday, January 18.
- The team will be matched up against hOURglass Rival Rider at 7 p.m.