WASHINGTON – The Saint Peter's University men's basketball team (4-5, 2-0 MAAC) fell in overtime to Georgetown (7-3) by a final score of 68-76 on Saturday at McDonough Arena. The Peacocks ended the second half on a 13-4 run to send the game into extra time, but the Hoyas ultimately pulled out the victory down the stretch.
"This was a game where we've been in this position before, and I thought my guys grew up in this moment, head coach
Bashir Mason said after the game. "Our pressure bothered them, our switching defenses kept them off balance and our guys made the plays they needed to make to end regulation, but we just didn't necessarily have enough in overtime."
"I'm proud of my guys' fight and their effort, and Georgetown is a really really good team."
After going down early, the Peacocks showed great resilience throughout the entire game, not allowing the Hoyas to pull too far ahead.
Bryce Eaton was a big reason for that, leading all players with 23 points on 7-for-14 shooting from the field. He added four rebounds, three assists and two steals in 32 minutes played.
Despite the result, Saint Peter's did a solid job of forcing Georgetown turnovers, especially in the final minutes of regulation. As a team, the Peacocks totaled 11 steals and five blocks.
NOTES
Saint Peter's is now 6-15 vs. the Hoyas overall and 2-6 against them on the road…this was just the third-ever overtime game between Saint Peter's and Georgetown…the Hoyas now hold a 2-1 record over the Peacocks in overtime games…both teams largest scoring runs were seven unanswered points…Georgetown started the game 4-for-5 from 3-point range before Saint Peter's didn't allow a single made 3 the rest of the game as the Hoyas finished 4-for-16 from downtown.
HOW IT HAPPENED
OVERTIME: Georgetown opened the overtime period with a 7-0 run after costly turnovers and fouls by the Peacocks. Two Eaton free throws put an end to the drought as Saint Peter's trailed 62-67 with just about two-and-a-half minutes left. Any time the Peacocks would get a bucket, the Hoyas responded with points on the other end. Saint Peter's trailed by as many as 12 points at one point in the game, but couldn't complete the comeback in the closing stages.
SECOND HALF: Saint Peter's called a timeout after the first three minutes of the second half as the Hoyas went ahead 35-26. Out of the timeout, the Peacocks outscored Georgetown 9-2 with the help of
Jahki Gupton and
Brent Bland, making it a four-point game. The Hoyas kept Saint Peter's scoreless over the next two-and-a-half minutes while scoring six unanswered points to lead 45-35.
As the second half progressed, Georgetown went into the double bonus which helped the Hoyas produce points at the free throw line. The Peacocks found themselves trailing 47-55 with four minutes to go after a made 3-pointer by Bland. A layup by Eaton and a 3-pointer by Gupton sparked a comeback late in the game for SPU. With under a minute to go, the Peacocks trailed 56-60 after a made jumper from Eaton. He went on to knock down four free throws at the line to tie the game at 60 apiece. After a steal on the defensive end, Bland had a great look to win the game with a 3, but his shot was just off the mark as the two teams went to overtime.
FIRST HALF: Eaton scored the first seven points of the game for the Peacocks, shooting 3-for-3 from the field and keeping the Peacocks close. With just under 12 minutes to go in the first half, Georgetown extended its lead to 10 points at 18-8 with its fourth made 3-pointer of the game. Back-to-back 3s by Eaton and Bland gave Saint Peter's some life, cutting its deficit to six at 14-20. With 7:56 left on the clock, the Hoyas held a 22-15 lead while shooting 66.7 percent (8-for-12) from the field and 80.0 percent (4-for-5) from downtown.
After the Peacocks' defense settled in, Saint Peter's was able to stack several stops and capitalize on the other end of the floor to come within four of Georgetown at 21-25. In the closing minutes of the half, free throws helped the Peacocks stay on pace with the Hoyas. After starting the game 4-for-5 from 3-point range, Georgetown ended the half missing their next five 3s. Saint Peter's trailed 24-31 at the break.
UP NEXT
The Peacocks play their final nonconference game vs. Centenary (N.J.) on Monday, Dec. 22, at 12 p.m. ET.
