JERSEY CITY, N.J. – The Saint Peter's men's basketball team fell to Marist, 51-56, at Run Baby Run Arena on Thursday night after struggling from the field in the second half. The Peacocks fought to the very end, but Marist missed just six shots in the final 20 minutes to pull away.
"That was a fun game to coach and a fun game to be a part of even though we fell short," head coach
Bashir Mason stated after the game. "For the first time in a long time that was a Saint Peter's brand basketball team out there that's got to eventually start winning games this year if we can continue to play that hard and be that scrappy and tough."
"Marist is the standard and we're not far off," he went on to say.
The Red Foxes (13-2, 6-0 MAAC) are currently the standard in the MAAC, taking sole possession of first place in the conference with Merrimack also losing tonight. The Peacocks' (6-8, 1-5 MAAC) record doesn't reflect how they played as they were diving for loose balls and playing with toughness all game.
Saint Peter's held a 26-20 lead at halftime, but couldn't seem to get their shots to fall in the second half. Despite forcing eight Marist turnovers in the second half, the Peacocks couldn't do anything about the Red Foxes' ability to make their shots. Marist shot an unheard of 62.5 percent (10-for-16) from the field, including a 60.0 percent mark from 3-point range.
For the Peacocks,
Armoni Zeigler had an outstanding performance with a team-high 14 points and nine boards. He made both of his 3-point attempts while also making hustle plays all night.
Marcus Randolph also fared well for SPU, recording 13 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals. He played the most minutes of any player on both sides with 39.
Bryce Eaton also scored in double-digits with 11 while adding three rebounds, four assists and two steals.
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST HALF: Saint Peter's and Marist traded scores on the first few possessions to a 6-6 game early. Randolph then hit a 3-pointer while getting fouled to put the Peacocks up 10-6. On the other end, the Red Foxes hit their first 3 of the game to make it a one-point contest.
Just a couple of minutes later, Marist took a 13-11 lead over Saint Peter's. The Red Foxes then went up five at 16-11. Eaton hit a deep 3 at the 10-minute mark before
Eric Morgan Jr. hit another on the next possession as the Peacocks regained the lead, 17-16.
With 6:28 to go in the first half, SPU was outrebounding Marist 14-to-7 while shooting 50.0 percent (3-for-6) from long range. The Peacocks held the Red Foxes scoreless for over seven minutes while building a 21-16 after a crazy layup through traffic from Zeigler. After Marist put an end to its scoring drought, Zeigler knocked down a corner 3, putting SPU up 24-18.
The Peacocks led 26-20 at halftime as Eaton scored nine while Zeigler had five on 2-of-4 shooting. Saint Peter's recorded six offensive boards in the first 20 minutes compared to just one from Marist.
SECOND HALF: The Red Foxes opened the second half with a quick 3-pointer, but Saint Peter's stopped their momentum with steals on back-to-back possessions as Peacocks were diving for loose balls everywhere. Buckets from Eaton and Randolph and free throws from Zeigler had SPU leading 32-26. Marist fought back with a 7-2 run to cut its deficit to one at 33-34.
The Red Foxes then took their first lead since 9:34 in the first half with a 3-pointer. After a missed corner 3 from
Zaakir Williamson, Randolph somehow converted a putback layup while getting fouled to tie it at 36-36. He hit the free throw to complete the AND-1 and put Saint Peter's up by a point.
Marist responded with a 9-0 scoring run to lead 45-37 with under six-and-a-half minutes to go in regulation. The Peacocks went into the bonus as Randolph hit two free throws. Zeigler then cashed a 3-pointer to bring Saint Peter's within five, 42-47, before calling a timeout.
Out of the break, the Red Foxes scored on back-to-back possessions. The Peacocks found themselves trailing 44-52 with under two minutes remaining.
UP NEXT
The Peacocks will continue conference play on Saturday, Jan. 18 at 2 p.m when they face off against Sacred Heart. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
NOTES
Saint Peter's moves to 39-28 all-time vs. Marist and 23-10 against the Red Foxes at home.
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