BUFFALO, N.Y. – The Saint Peter's men's basketball team took down Canisius 62-49 at the Koessler Athletic Center Sunday afternoon to secure its first conference victory of the season.
"I'm extremely happy and excited, not for me, but more so for these guys," head coach
Bashir Mason stated after the win. "They've been working really hard, and we've got into a little bit of a rut and this is a tough trip so for us to be able to finish it off with a win is exciting."
The Peacocks (6-7, 1-4 MAAC) outlasted the Golden Griffins (1-15, 1-4 MAAC) behind
Marcus Randolph's 19 points. He sparked the offense early in the game with a pair of 3-pointers and seemed to have the hot hand throughout the contest. Randolph finished 5-of-14 from the field while shooting 40.0 percent from long range.
Saint Peter's dominated the glass this afternoon, recording 44 total rebounds compared to Canisius' 23. The Peacocks scored 10 second-chance points which were created by 13 offensive boards.
The Saint Peter's squad also locked up on defense, holding the conference's leading scorer, Paul McMillan IV, to just 11 points.
Jaquel Morris got the start today and he didn't disappoint with six points on 3-for-3 shooting along with 12 rebounds.
Bryce Eaton also put together a solid performance, scoring 11 points while dishing out five assists. The big men pair of
Mouhamed Sow and
Stephon Roberts combined for 16 points and 18 rebounds. Sow had 10 of those points while Roberts pulled in the bulk of the rebounds with 13.
The Peacocks will return to Run Baby Run Arena to play Marist on Thursday, Jan. 16 at 7 p.m. ET.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Peacocks opened the game on a 7-0 run before Canisius scored its first points at the free throw line. On the other end, Randolph hit his second 3-pointer of the game to force a timeout by the Griffs while the Peacocks led 10-1.
After the timeout, Canisius chipped away at the deficit to come within five at 8-13, but back-to-back layups by the Peacocks put them back up by nine. Tana Kopa brought life to the Griffs as he hit two 3-pointers to make it 14-17.
With under eight minutes to go in the first half, Morris found the bottom of the net on a pass from Eaton. Randolph then hit yet another 3-pointer as the Peacocks held a 24-14 advantage over the Griffs.
Mason called a timeout with 3:47 remaining following a Canisius layup, but Saint Peter's still led by 10 at 30-20. The Peacocks knocked down their seventh 3-pointer of the half to take their largest lead of the game at 34-22. Saint Peter's carried the 12-point lead into halftime as the Peacocks outrebounded the Griffs 19-to-12 after the first 20 minutes.
Canisius started the second half with five unanswered points to come within seven. Over the next five minutes, Saint Peter's and Canisius kept trading buckets as the Peacocks held onto their lead.
Approaching the 11-minute mark, the Griffs converted an AND-1 layup as SPU called a timeout while leading 42-35. Sow hit a free throw for the Peacocks, but Canisius responded with a 3 to cut its deficit down to five. Saint Peter's answered right back as Eaton hit a shot from downtown.
An 8-1 run elevated the Peacocks to a 51-39 lead with nine minutes to go in regulation.
Zaakir Williamson powered his way through the paint and fought through contact for a layup that kept Saint Peter's up by 12.
The Peacocks fended off any chance of a comeback in the closing minutes of the game to end their two-game losing streak with a 62-49 victory.
UP NEXT
The Peacocks return to Jersey City to take on Marist on Thursday, Jan. 16 at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
NOTES
Saint Peter's moves to 40-46 all-time vs. Canisius and 18-22 against the Griffs on the road...
Jaquel Morris recorded a career-high 12 rebounds...The Peacocks' 44 rebounds are the tied for their second-most in a game all season.
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