JERSEY CITY, NJ - The Saint Peter's University women's basketball team topped the Siena Saints Friday afternoon, taking the 66-58 win at home. The victory brings the Peacocks to 8-8 on the season against Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) opponents, which marks the program's best conference record since it finished 10-8 in league play following the 2008-09 season.
For the seventh time this year, redshirt-senior
Taiah Thornton paced the team in scoring, posting 19 points on the afternoon. In addition to her scoring output, the Pennsauken native recorded seven assists, six steals, and five rebounds in the exchange. Freshman
Ajia James posted her third consecutive double-double, finishing with 10 points and a team-leading 13 rebounds, which included five boards on the offensive glass.
How It Happened:
- A great look from Thornton found classmate Kendrea Williams in the corner for an opening triple, putting the Peacocks up 3-2. Williams would repeat the feat on an inbound from Thornton moments later, giving the team a 6-4 lead.
- The second three-pointer from Williams kickstarted an 11-2 run for Saint Peter's, including contributions from Thornton, James, and freshman Sky Castro, which led to a 14-6 advantage midway through the first frame.
- A triple from junior Binta Salawu then gave the Peacocks their first double-digit lead of the day as the team took a 19-8 edge with 3:11 left in the quarter. Thornton then closed out the period with a massive buzzer-beating shot from half court, putting Saint Peter's ahead 27-16.
- The Saints bounced back quickly to start the second stanza, going on a 10-0 run to narrow the gap to 27-26. Another triple from the visitors at the 4:49 mark gave Siena its first lead of the game, putting the visitors up 29-27.
- The Peacocks would finally break the scoring drought with 4:07 left in the half with a deep ball from junior Tyara McQueen, which reclaimed a 30-29 Saint Peter's lead. The Peacocks then finished out the half ahead 36-31.
- The visitors started the second half with a conventional three-point play, before hitting a triple from the wing less than two minutes later to take a 39-38 lead.
- A steal and fastbreak from Thornton two possessions later led to another lead change, which was followed by a lay-up from McQueen to make the score 42-39 to Saint Peter's.
- The bucket from Thornton began an 11-0 run for the Peacocks, capped off by another Williams three-pointer, giving the blue and white a 49-39 advantage with 2:24 left in the third period.
- After heading into the final frame trailing 52-44, Siena was able to knock down a corner three to cut the difference back to five points. A clutch triple from Salawu answered the call, regaining the eight-point lead for the Peacocks with 6:03 left on the clock.
- The score was brought back to a two-point differential just over two minutes later following a 6-0 run from the Saints, as Saint Peter's held a 55-53 edge.
- A key baseline jumper from James off the feed from Thornton with 1:19 left on the clock would prove to be the deciding shot, as the Peacocks were able to extend their lead and finish on top 66-58.
Inside The Numbers:
- James finished Friday shooting 55.5 percent from the field and now holds four double-doubles on the season. The Stafford, Virginia native has now led the Peacocks in rebounding in nine contests this year.
- Salawu was the third Peacock to finish in double-digit scoring on Friday, posting 13 points in the affair while knocking down 3-of-4 shots from beyond the arc against the Saints.
- Saint Peter's now moves to 5-3 on the season when playing in Jersey City.
- Speed served the Peacocks well Friday afternoon, as the team finished with 11 fastbreak points while holding the Saints scoreless on fastbreaks.
- While Friday's game featured seven lead changes, Saint Peter's maintained the advantage through 90 percent of the contest.
- A nearly six-minute scoring absence staggered the Peacocks in the second quarter as the team was held to just nine points in the frame.
Up Next:
- The Peacocks will remain at home for a rematch against the Saints on Sunday, Feb. 27 at 4 p.m.
