Box Score JERSEY CITY, N.J. – Desi Washington (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin [Delaware State]) scored 18 points in his first game back from injury to lead Saint Peter's to a 60-46 win against Princeton in non-conference men's basketball action on Wednesday night.
Washington, who missed eight games after hurting his hand in the season opener at Brown on Nov. 14, connected on 6-for-10 shots from the floor, 2 of 5 from behind the arc and 4 of 5 from the free throw line to finish the contest with 18 points while also adding six rebounds and two assists in his triumphant return.
Marvin Dominique (Miramar, Fla./Miramar [Fordham]) added 16 points for the Peacocks (4-6) and Tyler Gaskins (Roswell, Ga./Centennial [Lawson State]) chipped in 10 points to celebrate his birthday in style.
Hans Brase paced the Tigers (3-7) with 17 points and Amir Bell registered 10 points in the loss.
After a seesaw battle in the first half, Saint Peter's used a strong second half to take the lead and never look back in the first-ever meeting between the two teams in Jersey City. Princeton won the only other contest in 1978 in Princeton.
The Peacocks scored the first five points of the second half to take the lead it would not relinquish. Trevis Wyche (Neptune, N.J./Saint Peter's Prep) hit two free throws 27 seconds into the stanza to give Saint Peter's the lead for good. Dominique added a jumper at 18:42 and Quadir Welton (Philadelphia, Pa./Math, Civics and Science Charter) capped the run with a free throw at 18:14 for a 32-27 lead.
With the squad maintaining a five-point margin with 17:31 left, the Peacocks scored 16 of the next 23 points to take a 48-34 advantage with 9:25 on the clock. Gaskins powered this stretch with eight points.
The Tigers cut the margin to 11 points several times, but could get no closer. Bell made the score 53-42 with two charity tosses with 6:56 left, but then went nearly four minutes before scoring another point. Saint Peter's was able to melt away nearly one minute on the clock thanks to using the shot clock and an offensive rebound before Washington hit what proved to be a dagger with a trey with 2:38 left as the shot clock was about to expire from the top of the key for a 56-42 advantage. The Peacocks went on for the 60-46 victory for its second-straight win.
Princeton used a 14-4 run in the first half to jump out to a 19-10 advantage with 8:02 left in the stanza. Brase keyed the run with eight points that started with the Tigers trailing 6-5 with 16:20 on the clock.
With Princeton holding a 22-14 advantage, Saint Peter's scored 11 unanswered points to grab a 25-22 lead with 1:26 left in the half. Dominique had a trey in the run, but the spurt belonged to Washington. The senior had eight points in the stretch, including a trey to give the Peacocks a 25-22 lead with 86 ticks left. Spencer Weisz then drained a 3-ball of his own with 58 seconds left to send the teams into the locker room tied at 25. Saint Peter's then scored the first five points in the second half and never looked back to earn its second-straight win and fourth in the last six games.
The 46 points allowed is the lowest points total since the Peacocks defeated Siena 51-44 on Dec. 1, 2011.
The Peacocks return to action at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., against Seton Hall in the annual tilt between the neighboring teams on Sunday. Game time is 12 p.m. and will be broadcasted on Fox Sports 1. Last year, Washington hit the game-winning 3-pointer with 3.3 seconds left to lift Saint Peter's to an 83-80 overtime win against the Pirates to end a 17-game losing streak.
