LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. – The Saint Peter's University women's basketball team lost to Rider 57-50 Saturday afternoon in Alumni Gymnasium. Junior center Kassondra Brown led the way, recording her eighth consecutive double-double, scoring 19 points and grabbing 15 rebounds.
The Peacocks started the game out on fire, going on a 14-4 run to open the game. Brown scored half of the 14 while senior guard Nickelle O'Neil, senior guard Kourtney Crane, and sophomore forward Sky Castro combined for the other seven. Saint Peter's would only score one point over the course of the 4:50 in the quarter. They led 15-9 after one.
The first four points of the second half for Saint Peter's came from free throws from both freshman forward Kaila Dawkins and graduate guard Kendrea Williams. Saint Peter's didn't make a shot until the 6:50 mark, as Dawkins found Brown in the right corner for an open mid range. Sophomore guard Rachel Kuhl hit a pull up jumper with 3:35 remaining in the half, but the Peacocks wouldn't score again after that. They led 25-24 at the break.
A slow start hindered the Peacocks in the third quarter. They were held scoreless for over the first four minutes, before Williams made a layup on an assist from Brown. Trailing by nine with under five minutes to go, Crane and Castro hit back-to-back bank shots - Crane from three and Castro from two - to cut the deficit to four. Saint Peter's would trail 37-35 at the end of three.
The two teams traded punches throughout the fourth quarter. With 6:52 left on the clock, O'Neil stole a pass and went coast-to-coast, blowing by the defender for the layup. That made the score 43-39 in favor of Rider. Down by as many as nine in the quarter, the Peacocks were able to cut it to three at 53-50, after Brown made a layup with 56 seconds left. Rider was able to hold on to the lead and come away with the victory.
Top Peacock Performers
- Brown recorded her twelfth double-double on the year and her eight straight, scoring 19 and adding 15 boards. She also had two steals.
- Dawkins scored six points to go along with five rebounds.
- Kuhl finished with six points and three rebounds.
Milestones
Stat Pack
- Saint Peter's shot 18-of-67 from the floor (26.9%) while recording a 3-of-23 mark (13.0%) from downtown. The team shot 11-of-20 (55.0%) at the free throw line.
- Saint Peter's outrebounded Rider 55-27.
- The Peacocks scored 11 points off of 10 Broncs turnovers.
Up Next
--
