JERSEY CITY, N.J. – The Saint Peter's men's basketball team fell, 68-78, to Niagara in overtime Thursday night at Run Baby Run Arena as the Peacocks are left with one last regular season game at home.
The Peacocks (11-16, 6-13 MAAC) held an 11-point lead over the Purple Eagles (11-19, 6-13 MAAC) at halftime but couldn't hold on as Niagara surged back in the final minute of the second half to force extra minutes. In overtime, the Purple Eagles went 3-for-3 from the field and 12-for-14 from the free throw line to secure the comeback.
Saint Peter's shot the ball 76 times, its most in a game all season, but couldn't seem to find the bottom of the net when it mattered most. Despite the defeat, the Peacocks had three players with nine rebounds,
Mouhamed Sow being one of them. Sow finished with a team-high 19 points while adding a steal and a block on the defensive end.
With just one game remaining on the schedule, the Peacocks' path to the playoffs became a lot harder with tonight's loss, but not impossible. They will now need some help from other teams on Saturday to make it to the MAAC Tournament. The only scenario in which Saint Peter's makes the postseason is shown below:
- Saint Peter's wins vs. Canisius
- Fairfield loses at Quinnipiac
- Niagara loses at Rider
If the above scenario played out, Saint Peter's would be tied with Fairfield for the last qualifying spot as each team would have a conference record of 7-13. The Peacocks would win the tiebreaker over the Stags since they defeated them in their only head-to-head matchup earlier in the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST HALF: Sow scored the first five points for the Peacocks as they led 5-3 after the first three minutes of the game.
Armoni Zeigler then drove the entire floor for a layup before
Bryce Eaton knocked down a 3 to put SPU up 10-3.
The Purple Eagles then went on a 9-2 run to tie the game at 12-12 with 11:37 remaining in the first half. Both teams fought back-and-forth over the next five minutes as neither squad took a commanding lead. Niagara was up 22-19 before Eaton hit his second 3-pointer of the game to tie it.
Saint Peter's ended the first half on a 13-2 run over 4:43. The highlight of the run was an Eaton AND-1 with 34.1 seconds left on the clock. On the final possession, Zeigler went all the way down the court and made a spin move for a layup as the Peacocks held a 38-27 advantage at the break.
SECOND HALF: The Purple Eagles started the second half hot, coming within four at 40-44 while making four of their first five field goal attempts. Niagara then cut it to just a two-point deficit at 44-46 with a pair of free throws.
The Peacocks responded with back-to-back scores as Eaton and Sow each connected on jumpers. Sow then added a free throw to make it 51-44 with just about 11 minutes to go. Saint Peter's made it seven unanswered points following a driving layup from Zeigler.
With under five minutes remaining in regulation, the Purples Eagles made it a two-point game, 53-55, yet again with a layup. Eaton knocked down free throws before picking up a steal to give the Peacocks possession of the ball.
Marcus Randolph then made a tough reverse layup as the shot clock was winding down to put SPU up 59-53.
Niagara made a layup before hitting a corner 3 with under a minute to go, making it a 58-59 game. The Purple Eagles then got fouled with two seconds left, but went 1-for-2 from the free throw line as the game went into overtime.
OVERTIME: Zeigler scored the first bucket of overtime with a driving layup, but Niagara tied it with a dunk on the other end. The Purple Eagles then took a 66-61 lead over the Peacocks with free throws and a fastbreak layup. Saint Peter's struggled to score down the stretch as Niagara kept extending its lead. The Peacocks fell to the Purple Eagles by 10.
UP NEXT
The Peacocks play Canisius in their final game of the regular season on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET. It will be Saint Peter's Senior Day celebration. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
NOTES
Saint Peter's moves to 42-56 all-time vs. Niagara and 21-26 against the Purple Eagles at home.
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