LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ - The Saint Peter's University women's basketball team came out strong on Saturday afternoon but ultimately dropped its contest against hOURglass rival Rider in Lawrenceville. The Peacocks were defeated 65-62 by their in-state rivals and now fall to 4-5 in league play on the season.
The silver lining to the series opener against Rider came from redshirt-senior
Taiah Thornton, who scored her 1,000th career point following a successful three-point play late in the second quarter. The Pennsauken native finished the day with an impressive 17 points while shooting 53.8 percent from the floor. Thornton's classmate
Kendrea Williams led the Peacocks offensively with 18 points, while freshman
Victoria Ikenasio had a career day, scoring a season-high 12 points while leading Saint Peter's in rebounds with seven boards against the Broncs.
How It Happened:
- The game opened with both teams finding success from the floor, as the scoreboard read 4-4 just a minute and a half into the game. A subsequent triple from Williams gave the Peacocks a 7-4 advantage.
- Williams and freshman Ajia James combined for another five points just moments later to give Saint Peter's a seven-point lead, going up 14-7 midway through the opening frame.
- The basket from James opened an 11-2 run for Saint Peter's, culminating in an easy lay-up from Ikenasio off the feed from Thornton. The Broncs were able to narrow the Peacocks' lead to 20-14 following a 5-0 run of their own, but Ikenasio hit the final bucket of the quarter to give Saint Peter's a 22-14 lead.
- The second stanza opened with yet another score from Ikenasio in the paint, while Rider answered back with four quick points, bringing the score to 24-18.
- A mid-range jumper from James spurred an 8-4 run, including a three-point play from Thornton and a triple from graduate student Jenna Clark.
- A deep shot from within the arc courtesy of Ikenasio would close out the half for the Peacocks, as Saint Peter's took a 36-28 edge heading into the break.
- The Peacocks opened the second half with another 8-4 run, which was kicked off by four unanswered points from Williams. After Saint Peter's gained a 12 point lead, the Broncs bounced back with a 7-2 run, cutting the visitors' lead back to 44-37.
- However, three consecutive buckets from Williams, Thornton, and freshman Taylor Abraham gave the Peacocks a healthy 51-37 lead with three minutes remaining in the third quarter.
- Thornton scored the Peacocks' first five points of the fourth quarter, including her first triple of the day off the assist from James. Following her opening score, the Broncs were able to go on an 11-3 run, narrowing the gap to 58-54 in favor of Saint Peter's.
- A free throw from Thornton ended the Peacocks' nearly three minute-long drought with 4:36 left to play, but a quick Rider lay-up spurred a 6-2 run from the hosts, bringing the score to 61-60.
- Five straight points from the Broncs gained the hosts their first lead since the 8:32 mark of the first quarter, and it would not be relinquished as they closed out the game with a 65-62 victory.
Inside The Numbers:
- Williams had the hot hand early in Saturday's exchange, scoring 10 points in the opening quarter while shooting 4-for-4 from the field.
- Ikenasio finished the first half with 10 points, eclipsing her career record of six points while shooting 71.4 percent from the floor. The Melbourne native also hit the last shot in the first, second, and third quarters during Saturday's affair.
- The Peacocks wrapped up the opening frame shooting 58.8 percent from the floor.
- Saint Peter's led for over 36 minutes in the first installment of the weekend series, while its largest lead of the day was 14 points in the latter part of the third period.
- The Broncs were awarded 26 trips to the line Saturday afternoon, converting on 20 shots, while the Peacocks only had seven shots from the charity stripe, finding success on four attempts.
- Rider was able to capitalize on Saint Peter's fouls in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Peacocks 22-9 in the final frame, including nine points from free throws.
Coach's Quote – Marc Mitchell:
- "We simply didn't finish the game."
Up Next:
- The Peacocks remain in Lawrenceville to close out their series against the Broncs on Sunday, Jan. 17 at 1 p.m.
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