POUGHKEEPSIE, NY - The Saint Peter's University women's basketball team's winning streak came to an end Thursday evening, as the team fell to Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) foe and conference leader Marist by a score of 71-55. The Peacocks now stand at 9-9 through conference play and remain a fifth seed ahead of the MAAC championship.
Freshman
Ajia James and redshirt-senior
Kendrea Williams each finished with 11 points in the affair to lead the Peacocks in scoring, while
Taiah Thornton joined them in double-digit scoring with 10 points. The team also had co-leaders in rebounding against the Red Foxes, as junior
Binta Salawu and freshman
Sky Castro each recorded eight rebounds on the day.
How It Happened:
- Saint Peter's gained the first possession after Castro won the opening tip and the Peacocks got on the board almost immediately on Thursday, as Salawu drained a triple in the first 10 seconds of action.
- After falling behind 3-7, the Peacocks responded with two unanswered baskets, culminating in a mid-range jumper by James to level the score at 7-7.
- The Red Foxes were then able to edge out to a 12-9 lead before the Peacocks went on a 7-0 run off shots from Williams and classmate Taiah Thornton, going up 16-12 with just over one minute remaining in the first period.
- The hosts were able to even the score at 16-16 after their first possession of the second quarter before gaining a 23-16 lead following a 9-0 run. After going scoreless for the first 5:24 of the second period, Castro finished a tough shot through contact to bring the score to 23-18.
- Jenna Clark accounted for the next two Saint Peter's baskets, knocking down a triple and deep mid-range shot to keep the team within four points (27-23) of the lead.
- The Peacocks then cut the differential back to 27-25 with less than two minutes left in the first half, but would ultimately finish the second stanza trailing 32-25.
- Thornton opened the second-half scoring effort with a classic floater from inside the paint after receiving a hand-off from Williams, bringing Saint Peter's back to within five points of the lead.
- Marist responded immediately, however, scoring three unanswered buckets to increase their advantage to a double-digit, 38-27 lead with 6:07 remaining in the third frame.
- Freshman Victoria Ikenasio managed to end the scoring drought with 3:33 left in the quarter, finishing a shot under the basket after grabbing an offensive rebound. The hosts continued to improve their position though, increasing their lead to 43-29 moments later.
- The final frame opened with another jumper from James, followed by a pair of made free throws from Williams. The Red Foxes had knocked down a pair of triples within the same amount of time, though, going up 57-41.
- The margin remained through the majority of the final period, as the Peacocks were only able to get within 13 points (66-58) of Marist, following a triple from junior Tyara McQueen before Marist closed out the 71-55 decision.
Inside The Numbers:
- James was able to finish the game with 11 points and seven rebounds, even though she only clocked 18 minutes of playing time after falling into foul trouble in the first quarter.
- Additionally, James finished with a team-best 50 percent shooting average on Thursday after going 5-for-10 from the field.
- The eight rebounds from Salawu mark a season-high for the junior.
- Saint Peter's was still able to hold the advantage in rebounding in the initial matchup against Marist, pulling down 41 boards compared to 34 from the hosts.
- Each side finished the contest with 16 total turnovers.
- Personal fouls played a large role in the story of Thursday evening, as Saint Peter's tallied 21 fouls on the day while Marist was only called for nine.
- Marist was locked in from the floor on Thursday, finishing the game shooting 55.1 percent as a team and 57.1 percent from beyond the arc.
Coach's Quote - Marc Mitchell:
- "Proud of how we battled."
Up Next:
- The Peacocks will stay in Poughkeepsie on Friday, March 5 for their regular season finale against the Red Foxes at 5 p.m.
