NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, NY - The Saint Peter's University women's basketball team fought to the bitter end but ultimately pulled up just short at Niagara on Saturday night, falling to the Purple Eagles 83-82. The Peacocks trailed 80-78 with 17 seconds remaining in regulation and were able to pull ahead 82-80 until a final push from Niagara in the final seconds secured the win for the hosts.
Freshman
Ajia James had a career outing for the Peacocks, finishing with career highs in both scoring and rebounding, leading the team in both categories with 20 points and 15 boards for her third double-double of the season. Redshirt-senior
Taiah Thornton joined the freshman in the double-double category, finishing with 14 points and a career-high 13 assists. Rookie
Rachel Kuhl joined James and Thornton in setting new highs with the strongest performance of her collegiate career thus far, finishing with a season-high 11 points while going 3-for-4 from beyond the arc.
How It Happened:
- Following a pair of offensive rebounds on the Peacocks' first possession, redshirt-senior Kendrea Williams was able to put in a reverse lay-up to get Saint Peter's first points of the night.
- The Peacocks then fell behind 8-3 with six and a half minutes to go in the opening period before the team was able to narrow the gap to two points (12-10) following a lay-up from freshman Sky Castro with 4:24 on the clock.
- A quick crossover from Thornton allowed her to finish a driving lay-up with just under three minutes to go in the quarter, giving Saint Peter's its first lead of the day at 15-14.
- After the Purple Eagles closed out the first quarter on a 7-0 run, the Peacocks responded with two quick baskets of their own from Castro and Kuhl to start the second stanza, bringing the score to 21-19.
- Saint Peter's once again levelled the score at 23-23 midway through the second period following a successful pair of free throws from Williams. A Thornton lay-up moments later regained a 25-24 advantage for the Peacocks with 5:20 left in the half.
- The rookie duo of Castro and James maintained the Peacocks' lead toward the latter half of the frame, as the two combined for nine points to put Saint Peter's up 34-30. The hosts ultimately went ahead 38-36 before halftime, following a Niagara triple with five seconds left on the clock.
- The Peacocks found themselves in another five-point deficit to start the second half, falling behind 41-36 until a lay-up from Castro brought the Peacocks back into the mix.
- A smooth inbound play on the part of Thornton and James led to a shot down low from freshman Victoria Ikenasio to put Saint Peter's back on top 47-46. A subsequent 9-3 run from Niagara culminating in a pair of triples then gave the hosts a 55-49 edge with 2:37 left in the third quarter.
- Kuhl responded with back-to-back triples to breathe some much needed life back into Saint Peter's offense as the team closed out the frame trailing 58-57.
- The fourth quarter began with each side trading shots, as the Peacocks stayed within two points (67-65) of their opponents with just over four minutes left in the game.
- Despite a seemingly miraculous push by the Peacocks in the final seconds of the game, going up 82-80 following key scores from Thornton and James, the Purple Eagles closed out the affair with a conventional three-point play, taking the last-second 83-82 victory.
Inside The Numbers:
- James secured her third double-double of the season a minute and a half into the third quarter Saturday night, pulling down her tenth rebound to go with her 10 points up to that point.
- Thornton now holds one double-double and one triple-double performance on the year, following her 15-point, 11-steal, 11-rebound performance in the season opener against NJIT on Nov. 25.
- Kuhl accounted for all of Saint Peter's three-point baskets, as the mark also represents a new single game career-high for the Old Bridge native.
- Joining James and Kuhl in double-digit scoring on Saturday were Castro (18 points), Thornton (14 points), and Williams (10 points).
- Three-point efficiency played a pivotal role in the exchange, as the hosts connected on eight triples on the night compared to the Peacocks' three.
- The Purple Eagles were showing their range early on Saturday, going 3-for-6 from deep in the first quarter.
Up Next:
- The Peacocks remain in Western New York for a rematch with the Purple Eagles on Sunday, Feb. 21 at 5 p.m.
