LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ - The Saint Peter's University women's basketball team dropped its hOURglass rivalry matchup and its road regular season finale at Rider on Thursday night, 72-52. Redshirt junior
Taiah Thornton and sophomore
Briyanah Richardson led the Peacocks in scoring, dropping 12 and 11 points, respectively.
How It Happened
- Following a quick basket from Rider off the tip, senior Zoe Pero opened the scoring for the Peacocks on their first offensive possession, sinking two free throws after drawing the foul while driving to the basket.
- The Broncs then jumped out to an 8-2 lead in the opening minutes of play, going on a 6-0 run until a mid-range jumper from Taiah Thornton cut the lead to four. A key three-point play from Briyanah Richardson and a close jumper from Wil'lisha Jackson would give the Peacocks their first lead of the day, going up 11-10 on the Broncs. The Peacocks would head into the first break trailing by two, 15-13.
- The teams would go back and forth in the first minutes of the second quarter, with Saint Peter's taking a 20-17 lead with eight minutes left in the half. The Broncs responded quickly, with senior Stella Johnson scoring five unanswered points to put Rider back on top, 22-20.
- After a triple from Thornton, which brought the score to 24-23 in favor of the Broncs, Rider was able to go on a 5-0 run to extend its lead to 29-23 until another triple from the Pennsauken native and another key jumper from Jackson once again cut the opponent's lead to a single point (29-28). Rider would head into the locker room with a 35-32 edge at the midpoint.
- Pero once again got things started for the Peacocks in the second half, hitting a smooth jumper from the top of the key off the feed from Richardson. The Peacocks were able to stay within four points of the Broncs until Rider came up with another 5-0 run, increasing their lead to nine, 45-36.
- A much-needed jumper by Richardson would interrupt the Broncs scoring, hitting a floater to bring the score to 52-40. Gabrielle Harris would finish off the quarter for the Peacocks with two successful shots from the charity stripe, as the Peacocks went into the final quarter trailing 56-43.
- Four rapid points by the Peacocks from Richardson and Tyara McQueen in the opening minutes of the final frame cut the Rider lead to single digits, though the Broncos answered in kind, regaining a 13-point at 60-47.
- The next three and a half minutes would bring a 9-2 run from the Broncs, giving them a 69-49 lead with just under four minutes left in the game before ultimately posting a 20-point margin of victory.
Inside The Numbers:
- At the end of the first half, Thornton led the Peacocks with 10 points while shooting 4-for-7 from the field and hitting two out of her three attempted triples.
- The Broncos held a clear advantage in the rebounds category through the contest, collecting 24 to the Peacocks' 10 in the first half, and 49 compared to 26 from Saint Peter's by the end of the affair.
- Saint Peter's held the advantage coming off the bench, finishing with 13 bench points compared to just five from the Broncs.
- Thornton finished the night with two of Saint Peter's three triples, hitting both in the first half.
Coach's Quotes - Marc Mitchell:
- "Hats off to Stella and Amari Johnson, two great players who played great tonight."
- "We are not going to win many games being out-rebounded by 20+."
- "We will get better moving forward toward AC."
Up Next:
- The Peacocks return to Jersey City on Saturday (March 7) to host Iona in their final home game of the regular season.
- Before the game, Saint Peter's will honor seniors Zoe Pero and Sammy Lochner, as well as Yamel Abreu and team managers Breanna Coates and Moyanda Pierre in the team's Senior Day ceremony.
