POUGHKEEPSIE, NY - The Saint Peter's University women's basketball team shocked the league Friday evening, toppling first-place Marist 58-51 in Poughkeepsie. In doing so, the Peacocks clinched a three-seed for the upcoming Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), the program's best position heading into the postseason since finishing second in the league following the 2001-02 season. Additionally, Saint Peter's victory marks the first home loss for the Red Foxes since Jan. 16, 2020, when Marist dropped a 76-72 decision to Rider in overtime.
Redshirt-senior
Taiah Thornton led all players in scoring during Friday's historic win, finishing with 19 points while also recording five assists and three rebounds in the exchange. Junior
Binta Salawu wasn't far behind, scoring 13 points while shooting an impressive 57.1 percent from the field and a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe. Freshmen
Sky Castro and
Ajia James were terrors on the glass against the Red Foxes, finishing with rebound totals of nine and eight, respectively, while combining for seven rebounds on the offensive end of the floor.
How It Happened:
- Salawu opened the scoring for the Peacocks for the second night in a row, finishing a floater over Marist defenders on the team's first offensive possession.
- Thornton accounted for Saint Peter's next seven points as the Peacocks trailed 10-9 midway through the first quarter. Castro then hit a successful free throw following a key shot clock violation from the Red Foxes to tie the game at 10-10.
- Five straight points from Salawu would then cap off a 10-0 run for the Peacocks and give the team their first lead of the day at 15-10, and the blue and white would head into the break leading 15-12.
- Thornton knocked down her first three-pointer of the day to start the second stanza, increasing the Saint Peter's advantage to 18-12. However, back-to-back triples from Marist's Sarah Barcello quickly leveled the score at 18-18.
- The Red Foxes were then able to regain a 25-20 lead, recording a 13-2 run of their own with 4:58 left in the first half. Thornton then broke a four-minute scoring absence for the Peacocks off the feed from Castro with 3:11 left in the frame, bringing the score to 25-22.
- The Red Foxes extended their lead at the start of the second half, as the hosts went on an 8-2 run to start the third period, increasing their advantage to 40-28. The lone Saint Peter's bucket during that stretch coming off a jumper from James off the inbound pass from Thornton.
- Saint Peter's responded with a quick 6-0 streak of their own with all three buckets coming from the freshman duo of James and Castro, cutting the Marist lead back to six points.
- The Peacocks' success would evolve into a 12-2 run after a pair of free throws from Salawu, as Saint Peter's found themselves within two points (42-40) of the hosts. Thornton then tied the game once again at 42-42 with another patented floater with 2:31 left in the third quarter.
- The blue and white entered the final quarter with a narrow 46-44 deficit before Thornton quickly evened the score once again on the opening possession. Another inbound play from Thornton to James then gave Saint Peter's a 48-46 advantage.
- After the Red Foxes tied the game back up at 48-48, graduate Jenna Clark knocked down a pivotal three-point shot to regain a 51-48 lead. Junior Tyara McQueen followed up with a triple of her own as the shot clock expired to give Saint Peter's a six-point lead.
- The Peacocks added three more points before the final whistle, conceding only one more basket in the final frame to secure the 58-51 victory.
Inside The Numbers:
- The win marks head coach Marc Mitchell's first victory over the Red Foxes since he took over for the program in 2018-19.
- The Peacocks have now knocked off the MAAC No. 1 seed in each of the past two seasons, having defeated then-undefeated Rider 67-56 in Jersey City on Feb. 6, 2020.
- The team's win also marks the first time Marist has lost in regulation during conference play at the McCann Arena since its 68-58 loss to Rider on Jan. 30, 2019.
- The Peacocks' overall record of 11-14 and MAAC record of 10-9 constitute the program's best season since it finished 13-15 overall, 10-8 in conference play after the 2008-09 season.
- Saint Peter's was dominant in the fourth quarter over the first-place Red Foxes, holding the league's No. 1 seed to just five points in the final 10 minutes.
- The Peacocks found themselves trailing by as many as 12 points when they faced the 40-28 deficit in the third quarter.
- Nearly half of Saint Peter's points came in the paint in the rematch against Marist, as the team finished with 28 down low.
- Offensive rebounding played an integral role in Saint Peter's success on Friday, as the team pulled down 13 offensive boards while the Red Foxes were only able to secure five.
Coach's Quote - Marc Mitchell:
- "We kept our composure. Fought through adversity tonight. Great team win! AS ONE!"
Up Next:
- The Peacocks head to the MAAC Men's and Women's Basketball Championships at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City on March 8-13, 2021.
- The No. 3 seed will earn Saint Peter's a first-round bye and will match them up against the No. 6 seed on Thursday, March 11 at 12 p.m.
