ATLANTIC CITY, NJ - The Saint Peter's University women's basketball team's historic 2020-21 season came to an end Saturday afternoon, as the Peacocks were defeated by Marist in the MAAC Women's Basketball Championship Final. The Red Foxes took a 69-30 victory in the conference championship game, despite a strong push from the Peacocks toward the end of the first half.
At the conclusion of the game, redshirt-senior
Taiah Thornton and freshman
Ajia James were named to the 2021 MAAC All-Championship Team. They are the first Saint Peter's players to earn the honor since Lauma Reke in 2008. Saint Peter's ends the season with an overall record of 13-15, matching their 2008-09 season record for the team's best end-of-year standing in over a decade. Additionally, the second-place finish at the MAAC Championship is the program's best result as a three-seed since 1991 when the Saint Peter's also finished as the runner-up.
How It Happened:
- The Red Foxes opened the game on a 12-0 run before a triple from junior Binta Salawu got the Peacocks on the board. Marist would then extend its advantage to 16-3 with 3:24 left in the first frame.
- A pair of free throws from Thornton would be the only other points for the Peacocks in the first quarter as the team finished out the period trailing 20-5.
- Junior Tyara McQueen sunk her first shot of the day from beyond the arc on Saint Peter's first offensive possession of the second quarter, bringing the score to 20-8.
- After a key stop on the defensive end, Salawu would follow up with her second three-pointer of the game, cutting the Marist lead back to double digits.
- A jumper at the top of the key from James capped off a 10-0 run for the Peacocks with 6:26 left in the half, bringing the score to 20-15 in favor of Marist.
- The Red Foxes would ultimately regain a 13-point lead to enter the half, going up 32-19 at the end of the second period.
- The Peacocks kicked off the second half with a key defensive stop, followed by a successful trip on the offensive end that ended in a lay-up from freshman Sky Castro.
- Marist then retaliated with another 14-0 run as the Red Foxes improved their advantage to 46-21.
- Free throws from Castro and James would break up the streak, but the Red Foxes were able to extend their lead to 51-24 before the end of the third stanza.
- James drained the first bucket of the final quarter on a second-chance jumper before the Red Foxes added another nine points to their lead.
- Freshman Victoria Ikenasio then ended the run with a lay-up off the feed from fellow rookie Rachel Kuhl, which would be the last Saint Peter's score of the afternoon.
Inside The Numbers:
- James and Salawu led the offensive effort for the Peacocks as they each posted six points on the day.
- Castro finished the tournament leading Saint Peter's in rebounding during each of their three games, tallying a team-leading seven boards against the Red Foxes on Saturday.
- The Peacocks were able to outscore the Red foxes 14-12 in the second quarter of the championship game, but were held to single digits in the other three frames.
- Marist applied constant pressure from both ends of the floor, shooting 49 percent from the field as a team while also tallying seven blocks and 10 steals.
