ATLANTIC CITY, NJ. - The Saint Peter's Men's Basketball team (18-13, 12-8 MAAC) knocked off the No. 1 seed Quinnipiac 62-60 in the MAAC Tournament Semifinals. Tied at 60-60 with 10 seconds left, Mouhamed Sow came up with a pivotal rebound and scored the game-winning layup at the buzzer. The Peacocks advanced to the 2024 Hercules Tires MAAC Men's Basketball Championship game.
Sow led the Peacocks with a season-high 15 points, six rebounds and four blocks. The 6-9 forward shot an efficient 6-8 from the field and 3-4 (75%) from three-point range. Corey Washington scored 13 points, with seven rebounds, two assists.
This is the second time in three seasons Saint Peter's has made the MAAC Tournament Championship. Last time the Peacocks were in the MAAC Championship was the 2021-22 season when Saint Peter's made its Elite Eight run in the 2022 March Madness Tournament.
The Peacocks will play the winner of the MAAC Semifinal game between No. 2 Fairfield and No. 3 Marist on Saturday, Mar. 16, at Boardwalk Hall.
How it Happened
- The first half was tightly contested. Washington led all scorers in the first half with nine points.
- The Bobcats shot 10/22 (45.45%) in the first half.
- Washington scored seven straight points for the Peacocks. The Saint Peter's sophomore drove to the basket for a layup, hit a turnaround jump shot, and a three-pointer. After Washington's first three-pointer of the game, the Peacocks led 10-8.
- Later in the half, a three-pointer from Rihards Vavers put the Bobcats up 17-12.
- Down 17-12 in the final six minutes of the half, the Peacocks went on a 14-5 run. Sow scored five straight points. Sow's first three-pointer of the game cut the deficit to one. A three-pointer from Roy Clarke gave the Peacocks a 22-20 advantage. Michael Houge added a layup in the paint, and the Peacocks extended their lead to 26-22.
- In the final minute of the first half, Armoni Zeigler drained a three-pointer. QU's Paul Otieno knocked down and shot with eight seconds left, and the Bobcats led 30-29 at halftime.
- In the second half, Sow came out of the gate shooting from beyond the arc.
- The Redshirt sophomore scored six of SPU's first eight points in the second half. Sow's third three-pointer built the Peacocks' lead to 37-33.
- Savion Lewis tied the game up at 40-40. At the 12:50 mark, the Peacocks went on a 9-0 run. A layup from Roy Clarke extended the Peacocks' lead to 49-40
- A three-pointer from Brent Bland put the Peacocks up 10 with 7:22 left.
- Washington threw down a putback dunk, and Saint Peter's led by seven with 4:14 left.
- The Bobcats made a late push. Quinnipiac closed the gap with a 7-0 run. Balanc scored seven straight points and tied the game at 60-60 with a step-back three-pointer with 12.3 seconds left.
- In SPU's final possession, Sow came up with a pivotal offensive rebound and scored the game-winning layup at the buzzer.
Inside The Numbers
- There were six ties and 12 lead changes in the contest.
- The Peacocks defeated Quinnipiac after they dropped both games in the regular season.
- Sow tallied a season-high 15 points, six rebounds and four blocks. The 6-9 forward shot 6-8 from the field and 3-4 from three-point range.
- SPU's defense is ranked 14th in the nation. The Peacocks held the Bobcats to a season-low 60 points.
The Peacocks await the winner of the MAAC Tournament Semifinal game between No. 2 Fairfield and No. 3 Marist. The 2024 Hercules Tires MAAC Men's Basketball Championship is tomorrow, Saturday, Mar. 16 at 7:30 PM.
