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MAAC Championship Preview

Women's Basketball

Women’s Basketball Faces Niagara in Opening Round of 2020 MAAC Championship

Peacocks enter championship as highest seed since 2011-12

Game 30
No. 9 Saint Peter's (9-20, 6-14) vs. No. 8 Niagara (9-20, 7-13)
Date: Tuesday, March 10
Time: 9:30 a.m.
Location: Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, NJ
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GAME NOTES
 
Opening Word:
  • The ninth-seeded Saint Peter's University women's basketball team will open the 2020 Hercules Tires Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Men's and Women's Basketball Championships with a tilt against No. 8 Niagara at 9:30 a.m.
  • The Peacocks enter the championship riding high following a 15-point comeback victory over Iona on Senior Day, defeating the Gaels 55-50 on March 7.
  • Following a slow start to the day, in which Saint Peter's scored just 15 points in the first half, the Peacocks were able to outscore the Gaels 31-11 in the final quarter of play to seal the victory.
  • Senior Zoe Pero put on a show in her final home game as a Peacock, scoring a season-high 17 points while pulling down a team-high 10 rebounds in the exchange.
  • Saint Peter's finished the regular season ranked second in the MAAC in scoring, averaging 69.4 PPG, trailing only second-seeded Marist, which finished at 73.5 PPG.
  • Taiah Thornton paced the Peacocks throughout the regular season, finishing sixth in the league in scoring with 15 PPG while shooting 42.3 percent from the floor and 30.7 percent from beyond the arc.
  • Redshirt junior Kendrea Williams concluded the season as one of the most efficient three-point shooters in the MAAC, finishing first in the league in made triples (74), and second in the league in three-point percentage (42 percent) and three-pointers per game (2.6).
  • Pero was a defensive force this season, finishing second in the conference in blocked shots per game with 1.6.
Past Series with the Purple Eagles: 
  • The Peacocks and the Purple Eagles will meet in the opening round of the MAAC Championship for the 75th contest between the two schools, dating back to the first meeting on March 12, 1980.
  • Saint Peter's enters Tuesday morning's contest with a 45-29 advantage over Niagara in the all-time series.
  • The Peacocks and Purple Eagles met on Jan. 23 and Feb. 13 of this season, with the Peacocks falling in both contests via scores of 97-89 and 68-64, respectively.
  • Saint Peter's led through the majority of the second affair this season, entering the fourth quarter with a 51-45 lead over Niagara, but 23 fourth quarter points eventually lifted the Purple Eagles to victory.
  • In the MAAC Championship, the Peacocks hold a 6-2 record over the Purple Eagles, including a 66-38 victory in the MAAC Championship Final on March 2, 1997.
  • Niagara has won the past two matchups in the postseason, as Saint Peter's looks to get back into the playoff win column against the Purple Eagles.
Peacocks in the MAAC Championship:
  • The Peacocks enter this year's championship slotted as a ninth seed, the team's best finish since 2011-12, when the Peacocks were also tabbed ninth in the 10-team field.
  • Saint Peter's holds an overall record of 40-29 at the MAAC Championship.
  • The Peacocks have claimed nine overall MAAC titles, winning in 1982, 1983 1984, 1992, 1993, 1997, 1999, 2000, and 2002. The nine championships stand as the second-most in conference history behind league-leading Marist with 10.
  • Saint Peter's enters this weekend with a fresh slate in Atlantic City, as it is the first time the conference championships will be held at Boardwalk Hall.
  • Saint Peter's is seeking its first win at the MAAC Championship since defeating Rider 62-43 in the opening round of the 2015 tournament at the Times Union Center in Albany, NY.
All-MAAC Honors
  • Taiah Thornton garnered postseason honors on March 9, having been named to the 2020 All-MAAC Third Team.
  • Thornton finished the season as the only Peacock to appear and start in all 29 regular season games for the Peacocks, averaging 28.9 MPG.
  • Apart from leading the team in scoring, the Pennsauken native also led Saint Peter's in double-digit performances this year, scoring 10 or more points in 22 out of 29 games played on the year.
  • Thornton's most productive game of the season came against Canisius on Feb. 15, when she put up 30 points for the Peacocks while shooting 50 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from deep, while going a perfect 3-for-3 from the free throw line. 
  • Thornton now joins senior Zoe Pero and sophomore Briyanah Richardson as the only current Peacocks to have been named to an All-MAAC team, as Pero earned All-Rookie honors in 2016, and Richardson garnered a unanimous vote in the same category last season.
Up Next:
  • The winner of Tuesday morning's game will go on to play top-seeded Rider on Wednesday (March 11) at 1 p.m. Check our Championship Central page throughout the weekend for up-to-date schedule information for next week's tournament.
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For continuing coverage of Saint Peter's University Athletics, visit SaintPetersPeacocks.com and follow the Peacocks onTwitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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Players Mentioned

Zoe Pero

#20 Zoe Pero

F
6' 0"
Senior
Briyanah Richardson

#15 Briyanah Richardson

G
5' 6"
Sophomore
Taiah Thornton

#1 Taiah Thornton

G
5' 5"
Redshirt Junior
Kendrea Williams

#23 Kendrea Williams

G
5' 9"
Redshirt Junior

Players Mentioned

Zoe Pero

#20 Zoe Pero

6' 0"
Senior
F
Briyanah Richardson

#15 Briyanah Richardson

5' 6"
Sophomore
G
Taiah Thornton

#1 Taiah Thornton

5' 5"
Redshirt Junior
G
Kendrea Williams

#23 Kendrea Williams

5' 9"
Redshirt Junior
G

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