JERSEY CITY, NJ - The Saint Peter's University women's basketball team fell to defending Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) champion Quinnipiac on Thursday night via a 91-64 decision. Sophomore
Briyanah Richardson led the way for the Peacocks in scoring, putting up 21 and registering her second 20+ point performance of the season.
How It Happened
- The Peacocks and Bobcats started the opening minutes of Thursday's game on even footing, as the two sides were tied 4-4 before Quinnipiac went on a 5-0 run to gain a 9-4 advantage. Quick scores from Zoe Pero and Richardson would eventually tie the game at 12-12 midway through the first quarter.
- Offensive consistency from the Bobcats would contribute to another small lead late in the first quarter, but the Peacocks would keep within reach of their foes from Quinnipiac, trailing 19-17 with under two minutes left in the opening stanza.
- The Peacocks would finish the first half down by six with the Bobcats leading 23-17.
- Richardson, who opened the scoring for the Peacocks in the first quarter, would repeat the feat in the second period, drilling a crucial three-point shot to bring the Peacocks within five. Saint Peter's would then cut their opponent's lead to just one point with 7:06 left in the first half following a pair of layups from Pero and Taiah Thornton.
- The Peacocks would go scoreless for two minutes late in the second quarter until a pull-up jumper from Wil'lisha Jackson brought the score to 36-31 in favor of the Bobcats. A 10-4 run late in the half would eventually give the Bobcats an 11-point lead heading into halftime, as they went up 46-35 over the Peacocks.
- Saint Peter's would stuff the first three shots from the opposing offense to start the second half, including a key block from Pero. On the offensive front, it was a slow start to the third quarter for Saint Peter's as the team hit their second shot of the quarter after four minutes of play on a layup from Gabrielle Harris.
- The Bobcats eventually extended their lead to 20 points midway through the third quarter, eventually going up 59-39. Quinnipiac would go up via an 11-3 run between the 8:27 and 4:35 mark. Back-to-back triples from Jackson and Kendrea Williams would give a much-needed spark to the Saint Peter's offense, but would only cut the Bobcat lead to 63-47.
- The Bobcats came out swinging on the offensive front in the final quarter, knocking down three straight triples within the first two and a half minutes of play, extending their lead to 26. Saint Peter's would go scoreless for more than five minutes in the final quarter of play, until Pero broke the drought off the assist from Richardson.
- The Peacocks would fight until the final whistle, as the team would go on a 6-1 run within the final minute of the game before finally falling via a final decision of 91-64.
Inside The Numbers:
- Richardson had an extremely productive first half for the Peacocks, leading all scorers with 16 points while shooting 7-for-10 from the field and grabbing three rebounds.
- The Peacocks were able to take care of the ball more often than their opponents on Thursday night, finishing with 15 turnovers compared to 19 from the Bobcats.
- Quinnipiac shot twice as many free throws as Saint Peter's in the contest, going to the line for 20 shots compared to just 10 for the Peacocks.
- Both Richardson and Thornton finished shooting 50 percent from the field.
Up Next:
- The Peacocks will travel across the Hudson this weekend to face off against Manhattan for the second time this season on Saturday (Feb. 1) in a 2 p.m. matchup.
