JERSEY CITY, NJ - The Saint Peter's University women's basketball team fell just short of a series sweep against hOURglass rival Monmouth on Sunday night, dropping the second installment of the two-game stretch by a score of 63-57. The Peacocks now stand at 6-7 this year in conference play and rank fifth in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) women's basketball standings.
Redshirt-senior
Kendrea Williams notched her fourth consecutive 20+ point performance, leading all players in Sunday night's game with 23 points while finishing with three triples and a season-high five rebounds. Freshman
Sky Castro led the way in rebounding in the rematch against the Hawks, grabbing eight boards while also recording two steals in the affair.
How It Happened:
- After falling to an early 4-0 deficit over the first two minutes of play, redshirt-senior Taiah Thornton hit an opening three-pointer to get the Peacocks on the board.
- Shortly thereafter, Castro finished a tough shot under the basket after a backdoor feed from Thornton to give the Peacocks a 5-4 lead.
- A nearly four-minute scoring drought followed for Saint Peter's, as the team fell behind 8-5 until a lay-up from freshman Giah Moore made it a one-point game. The visitors would add five more points to finish out the first quarter ahead 13-7.
- Neither team had success over the first two minutes of the second stanza until a Monmouth triple extended the Hawks' advantage to 16-7, but a driving lay-up from junior Binta Salawu cut the Hawks' edge to seven points.
- After an 11-4 run for Saint Peter's, featuring a triple from Salawu and a pair of three-pointers from Williams, the Peacocks were able to even the score at 22-22.
- With less than a minute left in the half, Williams drew a foul from beyond the arc after a key steal from Castro, which led to three shots from the line. The Piscataway native knocked down two of the shots to give the Peacocks a 25-24 lead.
- Saint Peter's was able to increase its advantage to 30-26 to start the third quarter following a classic mid-range jumper from freshman Ajia James off the inbound from Thornton, woh followed with a deep ball of her own on the following possession.
- An 8-2 run from Monmouth then resulted in the Hawks regaining the lead midway through the third period, going up 34-33 with just over four minutes left in the quarter. The margin remained the same for the rest of the frame, as Monmouth led 45-44 heading into the final 10 minutes.
- Thornton went on a roll at the start of the final period, scoring three unanswered baskets to put the Peacocks back on top via a 50-45 differential. The Hawks were able to recover though, leveling the score at 52-52 with just under three and a half minutes remaining.
- Following a free throw from freshman Taylor Abraham, the Hawks went on a 7-0 run, gaining a six-point (59-53) lead which they held through the remainder of the contest.
Inside The Numbers:
- On top of her 20+ point streak, Williams has now shot 40 percent or better from the field in each of the Peacocks' last four games.
- Five of Castro's eight rebounds came on the offensive end of the floor, aiding in Saint Peter's eight second-chance points on the night.
- Sunday's game proved to be a back-and-forth affair from start to finish, with 16 lead changes occurring through 40 minutes.
- The Peacocks proved to be the more efficient team from the line Sunday night, shooting 75 percent from the charity stripe compared to the Hawks' 64.7 percent.
- Monmouth held the clear advantage on the defensive glass, securing 29 defensive rebounds compared to just 16 from Saint Peter's.
Up Next:
- The Peacocks will stay in Jersey City next weekend as they prepare to host Siena in their final home series of the season from Feb. 20-21.
