JERSEY CITY, NJ - The Saint Peter's University women's basketball team topped the Canisius Golden Griffins on Saturday, taking a 67-58 victory at home and improving to 7-16 (4-10 MAAC) on the season. With the victory over Canisius, head coach
Marc Mitchell gains his 200th career win as a head coach.
Redshirt junior
Taiah Thornton had a prolific day for the Peacocks, dropping a career-high 30 points while shooting 50 percent from the field and knocking down three triples in the exchange. Sophomore
Briyanah Richardson had another strong showing for the program, finishing the day with 13 points while leading all players in assists with six.
How It Happened
- The day started slow for the Peacocks, going scoreless for the first two minutes of action while falling behind 4-0 to the Golden Griffins. Richardson would eventually get the Peacocks on the board with a made free throw, and Thornton would tie the game at 4-4 after drawing a foul on a made layup and converting.
- Canisius would once again edge out to a four-point lead midway through the first period, going up 10-6. Fortunately for the Peacocks, consecutive buckets from Wil'lisha Jackson and Gabrielle Harris would even out the scoreboard at 10-10.
- Saint Peter's gained its first lead of the day following a deep triple from Richardson, followed by a successful layup from Thornton, giving the Peacocks a 15-10 lead late in the opening quarter.
- Despite holding a six-point lead heading into the second quarter, the Peacocks would see their lead cut to just two at the beginning of the period, maintaining a 20-18 advantage. The Golden Griffins would retake a 22-20 lead with just over five minutes left in the half.
- The remainder of the first half would be a back-and-forth affair, with the teams heading into their locker rooms at the break tied at 26-26.
- Coming out of halftime, it was the Peacocks who jumped out to a four-point lead off of scoring from Thornton and Jackson, going up 30-26. A 6-0 run by the Griffs, capped off by a pair of made free throws would give the 32-30 lead back to Canisius with five minutes left in the third stanza.
- A strong 10-4 run by the Peacocks late in the third quarter would give the team a much-needed boost and put the Peacocks ahead 45-39 with about a minute and a half remaining in the period. The Peacocks would enter the final 10 minutes of play leading by a narrow 45-43 margin.
- Saint Peter's came out swinging to start the fourth quarter, going on a pivotal 7-0 run in the first two minutes and getting key turnovers from Zoe Pero and Kendrea Williams. After Williams's second triple of the quarter, the Peacocks gained their first 10-point lead of the day, going up 57-47.
- Saint Peter's would maintain its lead into the final minutes of action, holding on to a 63-57 lead with just over a minute left to play. Ultimately, the Peacocks would hang on to a nine-point lead and secure a 67-58 victory.
Inside The Numbers:
- The win marks the fourth Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) victory for the Peacocks, the most conference wins by the program since the team won the same amount during the 2014-15 season.
- With Saturday's win, head coach March Mitchell gains his 200th win as a collegiate head coach, and his 13th at Saint Peter's.
- The Peacocks improve to 7-16 in their overall record this season, the most wins by the team since winning 10 during the 2009-10 season.
- Both Thornton and Richardson ended the first half with eight points apiece, while Canisisus's Danielle Sanderlin finished the first 20 minutes with an impressive 14 points.
- Taiah Thornton's 10 point run in the third quarter occurred within two minutes and included two triples.
Up Next:
- The Peacocks will remain in Jersey City as they prepare for a Feb. 18 meeting against third-place Fairfield. The game is set to start at 7 p.m.
