JERSEY CITY, N.J. – The Saint Peter's men's basketball team secured a thrilling 66-65 victory over Rider at Run Baby Run Arena on Sunday after
Bryce Eaton knocked down a pair of free throws in the clutch to give the Peacocks the win.
"Welcome back to Saint Peter's basketball," head coach
Bashir Mason stated after the game. "Toughness, defending and rebounding, connection and being locked into each other. That was another really hard-fought battle with a really good Rider team."
Saint Peter's (9-13, 4-10 MAAC) trailed the Broncs (10-16, 6-9 MAAC) by one after Rider went 1-for-2 from the free throw line with six seconds left, but Eaton earned a trip to the free throw line three seconds later with a chance to put the Peacocks ahead. He did just that while finishing the game with 16 points, two rebounds and three assists.
The Peacocks dominated the boards for the second game in a row, outrebounding the Broncs 45-to-27. They recorded a staggering 22 offensive rebounds which helped them to score 18 second chance points.
Mouhamed Sow was a big contributor to Saint Peter's efforts on the glass as he recorded 11 rebounds. He added 14 points for his first double-double of the season.
Armoni Zeigler neared a double-double performance as well with 10 points and eight boards. He also accounted for half of the Peacocks' steals with three.
Marcus Randolph was key in getting Saint Peter's back in the game early, hitting two 3s in the first half. He finished the game with 14 points, four rebounds and three assists.
The Peacocks closed the weekend with two crucial wins to keep their postseason hopes very much alive. They will head to Maryland to play Mount St. Mary's on Friday.
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST HALF: The Peacocks got off to a slow start, trailing 0-9 after the first three minutes. Randolph put an end to the drought with a 3-pointer followed by another 3 by Eaton. With 14:37 on the clock, Saint Peter's was down six at 6-12.
Zeigler hit back-to-back shots to bring the Peacocks within just two at 10-12. Rider responded with a bucket followed by a 3 to extend its lead to seven. Saint Peter's forced a stop on defense which led to a transition triple from Eaton. Randolph then knocked down a shot from behind the arc as well to make it 16-17.
Saint Peter's hit yet another 3-pointer as 15 of its first 19 points came from behind the arc. On the next possession, Eaton picked up a steal leading to a transition dunk by Sow, giving the Peacocks their first lead of the game, 21-19.
The Broncs regained the lead at 22-21, but Saint Peter's went on a 10-1 run to take a 31-23 advantage. The highlight of the run was a transition AND-1 by
Adetokunbo Bakare. Rider finished the half with eight unanswered points, making it a one-point game with SPU up 32-31.
SECOND HALF: Both teams knocked down triples to start the second half, but Rider then scored two buckets to tie it at 37-37. As minutes ticked off the clock, the tie continued to 43-43 before Eaton hit a long range jumper to make it 46-43.
The Broncs came within one after a pair of free throws, but a steal and layup from Zeigler put the Peacocks back up three. With just under 11 minutes to go, both teams traded 3s on three straight possessions for a 51-51 score.
Saint Peter's trailed by two after a layup from Rider, but a nice floater by Eaton tied it once again just a minute later. The Broncs took the lead right back with a 3-pointer for a 60-57 advantage.
Trailing 60-64, Zeigler missed a driving baseline layup, but Sow dunked it off the rebound to bring the Peacocks within two. On the next offensive possession for Saint Peter's, Zeigler made the same baseline layup to tie it at 64-64.
The Broncs were fouled with six seconds left and went 1-for-2 from the charity stripe to take the lead. With one possession left, Eaton was sprinting down the court and was fouled, sending him to the line. He knocked down both free throws with three seconds left to elevate the Peacocks past Rider.
UP NEXT
The Peacocks will hit the road next week to play at Mount St. Mary's on Friday, Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
NOTES
Saint Peter's moves to 36-45 all-time vs. Rider and 16-22 against the Broncs at home...the Peacocks pulled in 45 rebounds, their second-most in a game all season...Saint Peter's recorded 29 bench points...the Peacocks had four double-digit scorers...SPU finished with 26 points in the paint compared to Rider's 16.
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