Box Score ITHACA, N.Y. – Tyler Gaskins (Roswell, Ga./Centennial [Lawson State]) made a 3-pointer and Marvin Dominique (Miramar, Fla./Miramar [Fordham]) hit a jumper to key five-straight points to start overtime and lift Saint Peter's past Cornell 59-52 in non-conference men's basketball action on Sunday.
After Shonn Miller tied the game at 45 on a 3-pointer with 31 seconds left in regulations to send the game into overtime, Gaskins started the extra session with a steal that turned into a trey at 4:28 left to give the Peacocks (6-7) the lead they would not relinquish. After a missed jumper, Gaskins pulled down the rebound and found Dominique for a jumper at the 3:47 mark for a 50-45 advantage. David Obuorah slammed home a dunk with 1:24 on the clock, but Saint Peter's went 9-for-10 from the foul line in the final 63 seconds of the contest to seal the victory.
Dominique paced the Peacocks with 17 points and nine rebounds while Gaskins registered 16 points, seven rebounds, three steals and three assists. Desi Washington (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin [Delaware State]) added 13 points after connecting on 9 of 9 from the charity stripe in the winning effort.
Miller powered the Big Red (6-6) with 24 points and 11 rebounds while Devin Cherry added 14 points in the loss.
Cornell forced overtime with a trey in the final minute of regulation, but the Peacocks scored the first five points of the stanza to earn its third-straight win against the Big Red in a series that began three years ago. Saint Peter's also finishes 2-1 against the Ivy League this season.
In a low scoring first half, Cornell jumped out to a 4-0 lead and that was the largest lead either team would have the rest of the seesaw stanza. Jamel Fields (Albany, N.Y./Cheshire Academy [Fairfield]) gave the Peacocks a 15-14 lead with 1:47 left in the half only to see Cherry hit a 3-pointer with 14 ticks on the clock to give the Big Red a 17-15 advantage going into the locker room.
The second half nearly mirrored the first with Cornell grabbing a four-point edge several times in the frame, but the half was again a seesaw battle to the bitter end. Trailing 42-40 with 2:37 left, Dominique made three of four at the foul line and Washington hit two at the charity stripe to give Saint Peter's a 45-42 lead with 35 seconds left in regulation. Miller then went down and hit a triple four seconds later to tie the game at 45. Washington, who hit four game-winners in the final 3.3 seconds last year, missed a 3-pointer with three seconds left in regulation to send the tilt to overtime.
It was all Peacocks in the extra session, posting 14 of the 21 points in the stanza to come away with its second-straight win and end the non-conference slate with a 6-5 record. It marks the third winning non-conference record under head coach John Dunne and the first since 2012-13.
Rodney Hawkins (Baltimore, Md./Lake Clifton) made his collegiate debut for Saint Peter's, registering eight points and three rebounds in eight minutes of action. Hawkins went 3-for-4 from the floor and 2 of 2 from behind the arc. Hawkins had to sit out the first semester after transferring mid-year in 2013-14 from Delaware State.
It was the squad's first overtime game since defeating Seton Hall last year 83-80 on Dec. 14, 2013.
Coming into the game as a 62.2 percent free throw shooting team, Saint Peter's made 21 of 28 from the stripe on the afternoon for its best free throw performance this season.
The Peacocks return to action when they restart Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play at Quinnipiac on Friday. Game time is 4 p.m. Saint Peter's will play four of its next five league games on the road.
