JERSEY CITY, N.J. – The Saint Peter's men's basketball team defeated Delaware, 72-64, at Run Baby Run Arena Friday night to end non-conference play in the win column.
The Peacocks (5-5, 0-2 MAAC) trailed the Blue Hens (7-5) by as much as seven points at one point in the game, but their success from beyond the arc helped lead them to a comeback victory.
Bryce Eaton was a huge part of that success from long range, knocking down a team-high five 3-pointers. All 15 of his points came from downtown while the Peacocks shot 44.4 percent from 3 compared to Delaware's 28.6 percent. Eaton added seven rebounds, three assists and two steals.
The Saint Peter's offense also ran through
Mouhamed Sow who dropped a career-high 25 points, leading all scorers. He converted on 11-of-14 field goals, many of which came on second chances. The Peacocks out-rebounded the Blue Hens 36-to-25, and also totaled 11 second chance points compared to Delaware's two.
In a game with nine lead changes, it came down to which team could make more stops down the stretch. That team was Saint Peter's. The Peacocks' ability to get stops created scoring opportunities on the other end of the floor, and
Elijah Perkins and Sow showed that in the closing minutes of the contest.
Perkins saw his first action of the season tonight and he didn't disappoint, recording five points, two rebounds, one assist and a steal off the bench. Much of his impact didn't show up on the stat sheet as he changed the game with his defense and his electrifying late-game dunk.
Armoni Zeigler also had a great performance, nearing a double-double with eight points and 13 boards. He and
Marcus Randolph led the Peacocks in assists with four each as Saint Peter's totaled 18 on the night.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Peacocks held a 34-33 lead over the Blue Hens at halftime as they dominated off the bench with 15 points coming from non-starters compared to Delaware's five.
SPU came out of the gates firing in the second half, outscoring the Blue Hens 7-to-3 and forcing a quick Delaware timeout. Out of the break, Saint Peter's extended its lead to eight for a 45-37 margin. Eaton continued to have the hot hand from downtown, cashing in on his fourth 3 to bring his scoring total to 12.
With under 9 minutes remaining in the game, the Blue Hens cut their deficit to just three, 47-50, on a fastbreak layup. Saint Peter's quickly responded on the other end of the floor as Zeigler converted on a layup after grabbing his own rebound not once but twice. The Peacocks proceeded to weather the storm, grabbing a loose offensive rebound which led to a bucket from Sow.
As time continued to tick, the Blue Hens just wouldn't go away, but a crazy step-back 3 from Eaton put the crowd on their feet, helping keep the momentum with the Peacocks. A few possessions later Perkins slammed one home which was followed by another rim-rocker from Sow. Saint Peter's took a double-digit lead for the first time in the game while forcing a Delaware timeout with 3:50 to go.
The Blue Hens responded well out of the break, scoring six unanswered to come within four at 62-66. The Peacocks managed to fend off the comeback by knocking down free throws down the stretch.
Delaware built an 11-4 lead to start the game, but it didn't last long as back-to-back 3s from Eaton cut Saint Peter's deficit to one with just under 12 minutes remaining in the half.
The Blue Hens responded with a 3 of their own to take a 16-12 advantage, however the Peacocks weren't phased, scoring seven unanswered points to go up 19-16. The 7-0 scoring run was made up of a putback layup from
Jaquel Morris, followed by Eaton's third 3-pointer of the game and then another bucket from Morris. Scoring went back-and-forth as play continued while neither team led by more than three points for the rest of the half.
With SPU trailing approaching halftime, Perkins wasted no time showing up in the scoring column with an elbow jumper to regain the lead for Saint Peter's.
KEY MOMENT
With under five minutes to go, Perkins put Saint Peter's up by eight with a high-flying dunk that electrified the crowd. On the next SPU possession, Sow rattled the rim as well, extending the lead to double digits and eliminating any life that Delaware might've still had.
UP NEXT
The Saint Peter's men's basketball team will take on Quinnipiac to continue conference play at home on Friday, Jan. 3 at 7 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
NOTES
Saint Peter's moves to 1-1 all-time against Delaware…the Peacocks shot 44.4 percent from long range for their second best 3-point shooting performance of the season…SPU recorded 26 points off the bench compared to Delaware's seven…Sow tallied 25 points for a new career-high…Zeigler also recorded a career-high in rebounds with 13.
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