BALTIMORE, MD - The Saint Peter's University women's basketball team fought hard Saturday afternoon before ultimately falling to Morgan State by a 65-57 margin. After trailing by as many as 16 points in the contest, the Peacocks were able to tie the game midway through the fourth quarter before the Bears were able to seal the victory.
Redshirt senior
Kendrea Williams and classmate
Taiah Thornton led the Peacocks on the offensive front, finishing with 19 and 12 points, respectively. Freshman
Sky Castro finished as the top rebounder for Saint Peter's, pulling down 10 boards against the Bears.
How It Happened
- Neither team was able to find the basket over the first two minutes of the affair, until Morgan State converted on two shots from the line. Graduate Jenna Clark then hit a deep three-pointer for the Peacocks with 7:24 remaining in the first quarter, putting the Peacocks up 3-2.
- The Bears proceeded to go on a 14-0 run to gain a 16-3 advantage with three minutes left in the opening frame. Saint Peter's came back with a 7-2 run of their own, but would finish the first period trailing 20-10.
- The second quarter started much like the first, with Morgan State going on an 8-2 run over the first five minutes. The lone Saint Peter's basket came from freshman Victoria Ikenasio, until classmate Taylor Abraham finished a lay-up with four and a half minutes left in the half.
- Three consecutive triples from Williams eventually cut the Morgan State lead down to 10 with just under three minutes until the break, as the Bears maintained a 33-23 advantage.
- A 5-2 run from Saint Peter's to start the third quarter with buckets courtesy of Thornton, Clark, and freshman Giah Moore narrowed the gap to 37-29.
- Saint Peter's once again trimmed the lead to single digits later in the quarter following a made free-throw from junior Nickelle O'Neil, bringing the score to 41-32.
- Back-to-back Saint Peter's baskets, including another triple from Williams, cut the Morgan State lead to four (41-37) with just three minutes left to play in the third period. A 6-2 run from the Peacocks over the last 1:30 of the frame brought the team from Jersey City to within five (48-43).
- Another three-pointer from Williams and a Sky Castro free throw to open the fourth quarter narrowed the Morgan State lead back down to four (51-47).
- A key steal and back-to-back lay-ups from Moore midway through the frame were enough to level the score at 53-53 with just over four and a half minutes left to play.
- Following Moore's score, the Bears finished the game on a 12-4 run, which included eight free throws, to seal the 65-57 decision.
Inside The Numbers:
- Williams's 19-point performance marks a season-high for the Peacocks, as do the Piscataway native's five made triples in the exchange.
- The game also stands as the second of the season in which Castro has paced the Peacocks in rebounds and finished with double-digit boards.
- The two sides each finished with 20 made field goals, while the Peacocks edged out the Bears in shots from beyond the arc, registering with six compared to five from the hosts.
- Saturday's game is the second this season in which the Peacocks have out-rebounded their opponents, grabbing 39 boards to Morgan State's 30.
- Saint Peter's has now finished with more offensive rebounds than their opponents in every game this season.
- The Bears had nearly a dozen more free-throw attempts than the Peacocks Saturday afternoon, going 20-for-29 from the line as the Peacocks finished 11-for-18.
Coach's Quotes - Marc Mitchell:
- "Tough loss today. We will learn from this."
Up Next:
- The Peacocks will return to the Garden State for their rescheduled game at Seton Hall on Tuesday, Dec. 8. The contest is currently slated for a 12 p.m. start.
