PISCATAWAY, N.J. - The Saint Peter's women's basketball team was defeated in a highly physical and intense battle against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights 39-57 at the Jersey Mike's Arena on Sunday.
Despite the loss, the Peacocks fought tooth and nail against Rutgers. Forcing 14 turnovers and being incredibly efficient at the line.
De'Naya Rippey was once again the star for the Peacocks, putting in a full day's work of 11 points with eight boards. The shining star for Saint Peter's was the defensive play, with the team posting four blocks to go along with eight steals.
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST QUARTER: The Peacocks started slow but quickly amped up the intensity after a
Layla Laws triple in the corner. After four minutes of action, Rippey came up big on the defensive end with a huge chase down block. Halfway through the first, the Peacocks found themselves down 3-11 against the Scarlet Knights. With about two minutes left,
Nikola Zdenkova cashed in a beautiful floater with the assist coming from
Jada Mills, immediately followed up by two huge blocks by
Eszter Turi. With the quarter winding down,
Reilly Sunday knocked down a pair of free throws as the Peacocks finished the first quarter on a tough defensive stand, with the score after one 7-16.
SECOND QUARTER: Carys Roy began the second quarter with a tough drive inside, drawing a foul and knocking down both attempts at the line. With the Peacocks switching to a zone defense, the Scarlet Knights struggled to find the bottom of the net as Saint Peter's continued to force turnovers. After a Rippey basket inside and a pair of shots at the line, the Peacocks found themselves down 13-16 early in the second. Rippey again continued to be a force inside and gave Saint Peter's life with a tough second chance putback. Heading into the media timeout, the Peacocks were fired up, down only by two thanks to a
Jayshlynn Vega buzzer with the shot clock winding down to make the score 17-19. The Scarlet Knights fought back with baskets at the line, stopping the Peacocks rally, and sending the contest into halftime with a score of 26-17.
THIRD QUARTER: Just like the first half, the Peacocks first basket came from a corner three by Laws, afterwards Rippey added to the total with a mid range jumper. After knocking down one free throw, the Peacocks halfway through the third were down in a tough battle by a score of 23-33. A Turi block followed up by a basket inside from
Louella Allana sent the game into a timeout with a score of 25-35. Coming out of the timeout, Zdenkova knocked down a monster triple and Rippey added more with points at the line. The Peacocks' steady stream of points continued as Allana and Rippey both earned baskets at the free throw line, with the third quarter coming to a close and the Peacocks in a battle by a score of 32-39.
FOURTH QUARTER: The Peacocks began the fourth quarter with a spinning hook shot from Roy. Heading into the media timeout, the solid shooting from Rutgers increased their lead back to a 10 point game with the score of 34-44. Despite the deficit, the Peacocks continued to battle hard, with Laws intercepting a pass and consistently forcing the Scarlet Knights into tough shots. Turi and
Jineen Ayyash provided a spark for the Peacocks off a pair of jumpers. But ultimately, the Peacocks would be defeated in the end by a final score of 39-57.
UP NEXT: The Peacocks return home on Wednesday, Dec. 3 for a special Kids Day game against Army.
