NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, NY - The Saint Peter's University women's basketball team came back with a vengeance Sunday night, defeating Niagara in the series rematch 70-55 and securing the series split to move to 7-8 in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) play. The win marks head coach
Marc Mitchell's first triumph over the Purple Eagles since he took over in 2018, as well as the program's first victory in the Gallagher Center since Saint Peter's took home a 59-54 win over Niagara on Jan. 2, 2011.
For the second straight night, freshman
Ajia James lit up the competition, leading the team in scoring once again with 17 points while securing a team-high 16 rebounds for her second consecutive double-double performance. Freshman
Sky Castro joined her classmate in the endeavor, finishing with her first career double-double and scoring 16 points while adding 12 rebounds of her own in the exchange. Junior
Binta Salawu was dangerous from deep range against the Purple Eagles on Saturday, going 4-of-8 from beyond the arc and scoring 13 points on the night.
How It Happened:
- After falling behind 4-0 in the opening minute, James was able to respond with two buckets, bringing the score to 6-4 in favor of the home team before Niagara tacked on five more points to go up 11-4.
- The difference was cut to just two points less than two minutes later when freshman Rachel Kuhl knocked down her first triple of the night following a key steal from James on the other end.
- The Peacocks then secured their first lead of the day at the end of a 9-0 run, going up 13-11 after a quick lay-up by Castro. The Peacocks finished out the opening frame on a 14-2 run to lead 18-13 at the break.
- The Peacocks could not find the bottom of the net for the first three minutes of the second stanza, until James finished a shot after a classic inbound play from redshirt-senior Taiah Thornton.
- Salawu followed up on the next possession with a triple, putting the team up 23-15. Salawu repeated the feat just two minutes later, giving the Peacocks a nine-point (28-19) lead with three and a half minutes left in the half.
- Niagara quickly responded with a 7-0 run, cutting the Saint Peter's advantage to 28-26 before redshirt-senior Kendrea Williams made a pair of free throws to stop the streak. The teams would head into the locker room tied at 30-30.
- James once again started the period for the Peacocks, finishing a conventional three-point play after receiving a missile of a pass from Thornton in the paint. Castro followed up with a lay-up of her own to put Saint Peter's up 35-30.
- A deep ball from Thornton moments later extended the Peacocks' advantage to 40-32, while Kuhl hit her second triple of the day less than two minutes later to give Saint Peter's a nine-point (43-34) lead.
- A 9-2 run from Niagara cut into the Saint Peter's lead once again, drawing the score to 45-43 to the Peacocks, but the blue and white would close out the third period leading 49-45.
- Saint Peter's opened the final 10 minutes with an 8-2 run, ending in the Peacocks' first double-digit lead of the day off a deep triple from Salawu, who brought the score to 57-47.
- The Peacocks were able to keep constant pressure on their opponents in the final 10 minutes, keeping the Purple Eagles at bay with a 13-8 differential over the last four minutes to close out the 70-55 win.
Inside The Numbers:
- Both James and Castro had strong performances on offense as well as defense, as James finished shooting 50 percent from the floor while Castro was close behind at 45.5 percent.
- James had an even distribution of rebounds on Sunday, recording eight offensive and eight defensive rebounds. Additionally, the Stafford, Virginia native set a new career best in assists, dishing out five helpers in the effort.
- Castro was automatic from the charity stripe in the rematch, going a perfect 6-for-6 from the line to set a new career-high in free throws.
- The success from long range switched hands on Sunday, as the Peacocks were the much more effective team from beyond the arc. The Peacocks connected on eight three-pointers in the affair, while Salawu scored four of her own, compared to just three triples from the hosts.
- Saint Peter's improved drastically in rebounding on Sunday, pulling down 47 rebounds while only allowing Niagara to grab 34 boards.
Coach's Quote - Marc Mitchell:
- "Great win for the program. We showed we have great character after a heartbreaking loss."
Up Next:
- The Peacocks return home next weekend to host Siena in the team's final home series of 2020-21 from Feb. 27-28.
