FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Despite early foul trouble, the Saint Peter's men's basketball team rallied defensively for a 66-61 win over Sacred Heart at the William H. Pitt Athletic and Convocation Center on Saturday.
"It's been a while since we've played Saint Peter's basketball," head coach
Bashir Mason said after the road win. "I thought we did a really good job two nights ago against Marist, and it carried over today. To hold these guys to 61 points is not an easy thing to do, so hats off to my guys."
The Peacocks (7-8, 2-5 MAAC) were faced with a big obstacle early in the game, committing seven fouls over the first six minutes which put the Pioneers (6-12, 2-5 MAAC) in the bonus. Saint Peter's didn't let that be the deciding factor, holding the highest-scoring team in the conference to its second lowest output all season.
"Sacred Heart took the lead in the second half, they started getting some 3s going and we didn't waver," said Mason. "Guys stepped up and made big plays for us. Armoni [Zeigler] who was in foul trouble in the first half.
Stephon Roberts, before he went down. Guys that have been here, part of the program, really stepped up today, and I'm proud of them."
The Pioneers came out firing in the second half, but the Peacocks managed to keep up with them offensively before making key stops in the final minutes. Saint Peter's held Sacred Heart to 30.5 percent from the field and 29.0 percent from 3.
Marcus Randolph was quiet in the second half but ignited the Saint Peter's offense early with 15 first-half points. He shot 50.0 percent from long range to go along with his six rebounds and two assists.
Mouhamed Sow went 4-for-4 from the field and 4-for-4 from the free throw line as he recorded 12 points and five boards in the win.
Armoni Zeigler and
Bryce Eaton combined for 20 points, scoring 10 each. Zeigler pulled in five rebounds while Eaton recorded four and three assists.
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST HALF: On the first possession of the game, Sacred Heart knocked down a 3-pointer, but Saint Peter's responded well, scoring on its next three trips to take a 6-3 lead. Eaton then hit a 3 for the Peacocks to extend their scoring run to nine.
Approaching the 15-minute mark, Randolph hit another 3 to make it a 12-2 Saint Peter's run. Just six minutes into the game, the Pioneers found themselves in the bonus after SPU committed its seventh foul. Sacred Heart came within one at 11-12, scoring all of its points on free throws besides its first 3-pointer.
The Peacocks took a four-point lead, 19-15, after another 3 from Randolph, bringing his scoring total to 10. With 7:29 remaining in the first half, Saint Peter's was holding Sacred Heart to just 11.1 percent (2-for-18) from the field, however the Pioneers were 10-for-10 from the free throw line.
Out of a media timeout, Sacred Heart hit back-to-back shots from behind the arc to take a 22-21 lead. The Peacocks responded with nine unanswered points to close out the half. At the break, Saint Peter's led 32-24 behind Randolph's 15 points. SPU held the Pioneers to 5-for-30 shooting from the field and 3-for-16 from long range. Offensively, the Peacocks shot 50.0 percent (4-for-8) from 3 over the first 20 minutes.
SECOND HALF: Both teams kept trading buckets over the first few minutes of the second half before Sacred Heart cut its deficit to five with a 3-pointer. Eaton managed to put the Peacocks up 45-35 after a series of defensive stops on the other end.
The Pioneers fought right back as Tanner Thomas scored on back-to-back possessions to make it 40-45. Sacred Heart cashed another 3 to come within two at 43-45.
Eric Morgan Jr. was fouled on a 3-pointer and made two of the three free throws, putting the Peacocks up by four.
Following a fastbreak layup from Zeigler, both teams went scoreless for almost three minutes.
Jaquel Morris put an end to the drought with a crazy putback dunk as the Peacocks took a 51-46 lead.
With five minutes to go, Sow extended the lead to seven with a layup. Sacred Heart didn't go away, however, hitting a 3-pointer and a free throw to make it 53-57. Sow then had a crucial block with under a minute-and-a-half to go as the Peacocks held on for a 64-58 win, hitting free throws down the stretch.
UP NEXT
The Peacocks will return home to play Merrimack on Thursday, Jan. 23 at 7 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
NOTES
Saint Peter's moves to 2-0 all-time vs. Sacred Heart…The Peacocks had four of their five starters score in double digits…SPU outrebounded Sacred Heart 42-to-31…The Peacocks recorded 14 points off the bench and 22 points in the paint.
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