LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ - The Saint Peter's University women's basketball team got back on track Sunday afternoon, snapping their six-game losing streak with a 59-50 road win over Rider. The triumph marks the first win for the Peacocks at Alumni Gymnasium since the team's 65-54 victory at Rider on Jan. 15, 2012. The Peacocks remain at .500 in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) play following this weekend's series, with a league record of 5-5.
Redshirt-senior
Taiah Thornton had a standout performance against the Peacocks' hOURglass rivals on Sunday, tying her career high of 30 points while also recording five rebounds and four assists. Additionally, Thornton set a new career high for free throws made, sinking 10 shots from the line on 14 attempts. Freshman
Ajia James pulled down a team-high nine rebounds in the exchange, surpassing 100 rebounds on the season.
How It Happened:
- A pair of free throws from Thornton got the Peacocks on the board in Sunday's affair, evening the score at 2-2 just over a minute into the game.
- Two more buckets from the Pennsauken native over the next minute and a half improved Saint Peter's lead to 6-2, while a quick inbound lay-up from freshman Rachel Kuhl to classmate Taylor Abraham then put the Peacocks up 10-4.
- The Broncs opened the second period with a three-point play, but Kuhl would answer back on the following possession with a deep two-point shot. A triple from the hosts with 6:49 left in the half cut the Peacocks' advantage to 13-10.
- A deep ball from the hands of Thornton and a follow-up jumper from junior Binta Salawu saw Saint Peter's regain an 18-10 edge with just under six minutes to play in the frame.
- After conceding two unanswered buckets from the Broncs, the Peacocks went on a 14-3 run to close out the quarter, which included two Thornton three-pointers. Saint Peter's entered the locker room leading 32-17.
- In the same manner that the game started, the second half got underway with a successful trip to the line from Thornton as the scoreboard read 34-20. The Broncs, however, started the third quarter off on a 7-2 run, trimming the score differential to 10 points.
- The 10-point difference remained over the next three minutes until James hit her third shot of the quarter and redshirt-senior Kendrea Williams finished two quick lay-ups off assists from Thornton, putting the Peacocks up 44-28.
- The two sides traded shots to start the final stanza, but an 8-2 run from the Broncs, which included six free throws, brought the score to 53-43 with just under five minutes left to play.
- The Saint Peter's lead was then trimmed to just five points later in the quarter as Rider brought the score to 54-49, but shots from the line courtesy of Thornton, Salawu, and Williams late in the game were able to seal the 59-50 victory.
Inside The Numbers:
- Thornton tallied 20 points on 50 percent shooting at the end of her first half, surpassing her season-high of 19 within the first 20 minutes of Sunday's contest.
- James joins classmate Sky Castro as one of only three players in the MAAC with 100+ rebounds on the year.
- After the Broncs' opening score in Sunday's matchup, the Peacocks finished the first quarter on an 11-2 run, holding the hosts to just four points in the first 10 minutes.
- Thornton accounted for the Peacocks' first eight points in the exchange, including a 4-for-4 start from the line. The redshirt-senior was also highly effective from beyond the arc on Sunday, shooting 57.1 percent from deep.
- Saint Peter's led for 95.7 percent of the game, falling behind only in the opening minute as the Broncs took a 2-0 lead.
- Rider turned the ball over 14 times in the first half, while the Peacocks lost the ball eight times through the first two periods.
Coach's Quote - Marc Mitchell:
- "We were able to finish the game today."
Up Next:
- The Peacocks will travel north on I-95 to Connecticut to do battle with Fairfield from Jan. 22-23.
