LOUDONVILLE, NY - The Saint Peter's University women's basketball team dropped its road contest against the Siena on Saturday night, falling to the Saints via a 71-64 decision. Despite four lead changes, the Peacocks were unable to match the Saints on the offensive front. Redshirt junior
Taiah Thornton led Saint Peter's in scoring on Saturday, finishing with 22 points while going 6-for-9 from the field and hitting all eight of her shots from the free throw line.
How It Happened
- The Peacocks got off to a slow start in the opening minutes Saturday night, going scoreless for the first three minutes of action. After falling behind 4-0, Kendrea Williams would draw a foul on a three-point shot, sinking all three free throws and bringing the score to 4-3 in favor of the Saints.
- The Saints opened up their scoring midway through the first quarter, going on a 10-0 run and taking a 14-3 lead with three and a half minutes remaining in the period.
- The Peacocks would soon find footing though, cutting the Saints lead to 19-16 by the end of the first quarter with help from stout defense and triples courtesy of Thornton and Briyanah Richardson.
- Saint Peter's eventually tied the game at 24-24 midway through the second quarter following a successful layup from Thornton. Senior Zoe Pero then gave the Peacocks their first lead of the day, putting Saint Peter's up 24-22 after sinking her first two free throws of the day.
- Both teams would trade back and forth for the remainder of the quarter, with Siena ending the half on top 37-33.
- The Saint edged out to another double-digit lead midway through the third stanza, taking a 46-35 advantage after a 9-2 run to start the second half. The Peacocks would once again trim down the Saints advantage to four (48-44) late in the quarter after two free throws from Thornton.
- Saint Peter's would not be counted out, however, going on a 10-2 tear over the last four minutes of play in the third quarter. The Peacocks stayed resilient on defense and tied the game at 50-50 with less than 10 seconds remaining in the quarter on a layup from Gabrielle Harris.
- The first minutes of the opening quarter reflected the flow of the game, as the two teams went back-and-forth on scoring, with Siena holding a 57-56 lead with six minutes of play remaining. Siena regained their lead late in the quarter, going up 64-58 following a 7-0 run with just under three minutes remaining.
- A flurry of free throws and defensive pressure would eventually give the Saints the win over the Peacocks via a 71-64 decision.
Inside The Numbers:
- Saturday's game marks the sixth contest of the season in which Thornton has surpassed the 20-point mark.
- Thornton's first triple of the day at 3:09 remaining in the first quarter was the Peacocks' first field goal of the day, with the Peacocks sole points prior coming from Williams's free throws.
- Heading into the fourth quarter, both Thornton and Williams were shooting a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe.
- The Peacocks held the upper hand in steals on the night, forcing 12 Siena turnovers compared to eight from the Saints.
- As a team, the Peacocks made sure to capitalize on their trips to the line, hitting 20 out of their 24 free throw attempts.
Up Next:
- The Peacocks will head to Connecticut next week for their second tilt of the season against defending MAAC champion Quinnipiac on Thursday, Feb. 27. The opening tip is scheduled for 7 p.m.
