LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. – The Saint Peter's men's basketball team fell to Rider, 64-67, at Alumni Gymnasium Friday night. The Peacocks outscored the Broncs in the second half and cut a 13-point deficit down to three, but it still wasn't enough to complete the comeback.
The Peacocks (7-10, 2-7 MAAC) got off to a slow start against the Broncs (8-13, 4-6 MAAC), but made a run down the stretch to threaten the Rider win. Saint Peter's shot 50.0 percent from the field in the second half.
Adetokunbo Bakare played a solid game against his former team, recording 13 points on 4-of-5 shooting including 3-for-4 from 3-point range. He also pulled in three boards and two steals in 22 minutes of playing time.
Zaakir Williamson played a big role in helping lead Saint Peter's comeback bid, scoring seven of his 11 total points in the final five minutes of the game.
Bryce Eaton also performed well with 13 points, four rebounds and four assists.
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST HALF: Through the first six minutes of the game, the Peacocks trailed the Broncs 7-8.
Armoni Zeigler scored all seven for Saint Peter's with an early 3-pointer followed by two driving layups. Rider took a three-point lead, 12-9, before
Marcus Randolph hit a jumper from long range to tie the game.
The Broncs scored two quick buckets to take a 16-12 advantage, but Eaton kept the Peacocks close with a 3. With under four minutes remaining in the first half, Rider took a 25-17 lead with a layup.
The Broncs took their largest lead of the game at 30-17 following an AND-1.
Eaton and Bakare helped the Peacocks get back in it with back-to-back 3-pointers. Shortly after, a technical foul was called on Bakare which led to a pair of free throws for Rider. The Broncs led 34-25 at halftime.
SECOND HALF: The Peacocks came within seven again following a 3-pointer from Bakare. Rider responded with a 3 on the other end to lead by 10, 42-32. The Saint Peter's 10-point deficit continued over the next few minutes as the game approached the 12-minute mark.
The Peacocks held the Broncs scoreless for over three minutes as they still trailed 41-50. Facing a 45-58 deficit, Saint Peter's got into the bonus with almost five minutes left in the game. Randolph knocked down both free throws to cut it down to 47-58.
Bakare brought the Peacocks within single digits, 50-58, with a baseline jumper. With under three minutes to go, Eaton hit two shots from the charity stripe, making it 54-60. Rider converted an AND-1 on the other end, but Bakare hit a 3-pointer to answer right back.
After forcing a 10-second violation, the Peacocks made it 59-63 with a floater from Williamson. Saint Peter's then grabbed a steal on defense before calling a timeout. Out of the timeout, Williamson made a layup to make it a two-point game.
The Broncs hit two free throws to take a 65-61 lead, but Eaton hit a stepback bank 3-pointer to bring SPU within just one. After Rider made two more free throws, the Peacocks missed the game-tying 3 as they fell to the Broncs 64-67.
UP NEXT
The Peacocks have a quick turnaround, taking on Mount St. Mary's at Run Baby Run Arena on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET
NOTES
Saint Peter's moves to 35-45 vs. Rider all-time and 11-20 against the Broncs on the road…Bakare scored a Division I career-high 13 points against his former team.
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