ATLANTIC CITY, N.J.– The #10 seeded Saint Peter's Women's Basketball team fell short of an upset bid against #7 Quinnipiac Bobcats, falling 68-63 in overtime in the 2024 Hercules Tires MAAC Women's Basketball Championship Opening Round. The Peacocks had three leading scorers that finished from double-figures.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Freshman forward Fatmata Janneh had an early driving lay-up that put the Peacocks on the board, while following up with a jumper. Graduate forward Maria Fux had a fast break in the paint, while following up with a second chance lay-up. At the end of the first quarter, the score was tied at 15.
Freshman center Carys Roy got the offense rolling with scoring in the paint early in the second quarter. Graduate guard Mikia Keith had a jumper, while sophomore guard Jada Leonard followed up with a fast break lay-up. Leonard had two back-to-back layups, while Senior guard Rachel Kuhl connected two free-throws as the
Peacocks trailed at the break 37-28.
Saint Peter's opened up the second half with Keith having a pair of trifectas. Leonard had a second chance lay-up, while following up by scoring in the paint. Leonard scored in the paint, helping the Peacocks fight for the lead. Leonard finished the third quarter with 13 points and shot 6-of-12 from the floor. At the end of the third the score was 48-43 Bobcats.
Fux had a lay-up assisted by Kuhl to start off the Peacocks offense in the final quarter. Janneh had a jumper, while she followed up with a lay-up and received a free-throw. Kuhl connected two free-throws.
Saint Peter's roared back over the final seven minutes of regulation with an 11-4 run to pull even. Fux got the run going with a bucket at the 6:46 mark, while Kuhl drained a pair of free throws. Janneh totaled seven points in the comeback including a three-point play with 3:49 to play and added the game-tying lay-up at the 2:07 mark.
The Peacocks picked up the defense down the stretch as Roy had a pair of blocks to preserve the tie and force overtime.
Sophomore guard Reilly Sunday had a free-throw, while following up with a lay-up to start the extra period, giving the Peacocks an early one-point advantage. Quinnipiac answered with two three-pointers to pull ahead 62-59. The teams traded points as Leonard and Sunday each connected on a pair of free throws to keep the score within a point with just over a minute to play. The Bobcats held on in the final minute, connecting on four free throws to hold off a Peacock rally down the stretch
Leonard led the way with 15 points, nine rebounds, four assists and four steals, while Janneh recorded a double-double with 15 points and 11 boards. Fux tacked on 11 points and five rebounds.
Coach Jennifer Leedham stated, "You have to give credit to Quinnipiac, they did a phenomenal job. It was two really young teams, which I think is the future of the conference, which is exciting to see. I'm really proud of our group effort. I think we really came out of the locker room and changed and fixed our energy, we made some adjustments. I really am excited about where we are as a program, and I am even more excited for the future."
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