EMMITSBURG, Md. – Saint Peter's men's basketball fell to Mount St. Mary's in a 58-69 game at Knott Arena Friday night after the Peacocks had trouble producing points in the second half.
The Peacocks (9-14, 4-11 MAAC) held a 36-30 lead at halftime but made just six field goals in the final 20 minutes as the Mountaineers (16-10, 9-6 MAAC) pulled off a second half comeback.
Marcus Randolph led the team with 17 points and
Mouhamed Sow recorded a career-high 15 rebounds.
Tyreck Morris and
Bryce Eaton were the other double-digit scorers for the Peacocks, combining for 23 points. Morris made aggressive plays throughout the night as he finished with 11 points and six boards.
Despite the loss, Saint Peter's totaled seven steals while limiting the Mountaineers to 26.1 percent (6-for-23) from 3-point range. The Peacocks will be back in action on Sunday when they take on Sacred Heart at Run Baby Run Arena.
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST HALF: The Peacocks trailed 2-7 early into the first half. Sow made up a layup to make it 4-7, but back-to-back buckets from Mount St. Mary's put the Mountaineers up 11-4. They followed it up with two free throws to lead by nine.
Saint Peter's cut the deficit down to five with two free throws along with a steal and transition layup from
Armoni Zeigler. Later on, Morris made shots on consecutive possessions to make it 13-15. The Mountaineers responded with a tip-in bucket.
Sow got a huge block on the defensive end that turned into an AND-1 layup for Morris in transition, tying the game at 21-21. The Peacocks took their first lead of the game at 25-24 following another fast-break layup by Morris.
Approaching the end of the half, Eaton knocked down two 3-pointers to give the Peacocks their largest lead of the game, 36-27. Mount St. Mary's hit a shot from behind the arc on its final possession to make it 30-36. The Peacocks ended the half on a 15-6 run.
Both teams shot 12-for-32 from the field in the first half, but the Peacocks made six more free throws than the Mountaineers.
SECOND HALF: Mount St. Mary's scored a quick five points to start the second before
Stephon Roberts cashed a pair of free throws. With just under 16 minutes on the clock, the Mountaineers hit a 3 to tie the game at 38-38.
The Peacocks found themselves trailing by four following a Mount St. Mary's jumper, but a 3-pointer from Randolph made it 44-45. Randolph then tied the game with a crazy AND-1 layup. Down one, the Mountaineers scored five unanswered to take a 54-50 lead. Sow cut it to two with a putback layup following three offensive boards.
Out of a timeout, Eaton drove to the basket and drew contact for a layup and a foul. He missed the free throw as the Peacocks still trailed 54-56. The Mountaineers made a layup and two free throws, taking a six-point lead. Sow knocked down two shots from the charity stripe, but Mount St. Mary's responded with a jumper on the other end.
The Peacocks shot 24.0 percent from the field in the second half as they fell to the Mountaineers, 58-69.
UP NEXT
The Peacocks return home on Sunday to play Sacred Heart at 2 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
NOTES
Saint Peter's moves to 3-3 all-time vs. Mount St. Mary's and 2-1 against the Mountaineers on the road...Sow set a career-high in rebounds with 15.
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