NEWARK, N.J.- Saint Peter's University men's basketball opened their 2024-25 season with a 57-53 loss to in-state rival Seton Hall University. The Peacocks led by as much as four points late in the second half in the setback.
Saint Peter's opens their season at 0-1, while the Pirates improve to 1-0.
R-freshman
Bryce Eaton got his first start in the Peacocks uniform and made an immediate impact, draining a pair of early three-pointers to pace the Saint Peter's offense. Senior
Marcus Randolph and r-junior
Brent Bland each connected on triples, while sophomore
Armoni Zeigler drained a pair from the free throw line to help the Peacocks build a 14-12 lead.
The Pirates answered with a run to build a 31-20 lead late in the first half. Bland and Eaton sparked the Saint Peter's offense late with a pair of buckets, while senior
Adetokunbo Bakare drained a trifecta in the final minute to cut the score to 32-27 at halftime.
Saint Peter's scored eight of the first 11 points to start the second half as Randolph connected on two from the line and r-junior
Mouhamed Sow netted a pair of buckets. Graduate
Stephon Roberts tied the game at 35 with two free throws at the 14:58 mark.
The teams traded leads over the next six minutes before Saint Peter's pushed ahead 50-46 with under eight minutes to play, following at Zeigler free throw. Seton Hall responded with ten straight points to pull ahead 56-50 with 3:27 remaining in the game. The Peacocks rallied late, closing to within three points with under a minute to play. Following two missed Pirate free throws with 23 seconds remaining, Saint Peter's failed to convert on their ensuing possession and Seton Hall connected on a free throw in the waning second to push the lead to four points.
Eaton led the way in his first game as a Peacock, totaling 12 points, six rebounds, three assists and four steals. Zeigler grabbed a team-best 11 boards, while Randolph added nine points
The game marks the start of the third season in Jersey City for head coach
Bashir Mason.
The Peacocks continue their opening season road swing as they travel to Massachusetts to take on UMass Lowell on Friday, November 8 at 6 pm. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
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