JERSEY CITY, N.J. – The Saint Peter's men's basketball team went on a 21-4 run midway through the second half to help push the Peacocks past Sacred Heart by six points, 85-79, at Run Baby Run Arena on Sunday.
"That was a hard-fought battle for us," head coach
Bashir Mason said after the game. "Sacred Heart is a really difficult team to prepare for and to play against with the amount of 3s that they shoot, the pace that they play with and how they spread you out."
"Our goal going into this was to hold those guys to 40.0 percent from 3 which is really difficult to do. We did that. We wanted to outrebound them by seven. We did that. A huge key was to keep it under 10 turnovers and we had seven which kept them out of transition. So all of our game goals that were on the board we checked off and it resulted in a win."
The Peacocks (10-14, 5-11 MAAC) not only held the Pioneers (12-15, 8-8 MAAC) to a 38.2 percent mark from behind the arc, but they also outrebounded them 46-to-38. Their defense led to offense, scoring 25 fastbreak points including 15 points off turnovers.
Bryce Eaton had an incredibly efficient day as he shot 8-for-11 from the field and 4-for-5 from 3-point range in just 24 minutes of playing time. He recorded a career-high 27 points and played a crucial role in that second half scoring run that eventually led to a win.
Armoni Zeigler also impressed as he recorded his first career double-double with 20 points and 13 rebounds. He added two steals on defense while shooting 53.3 percent from the field on offense.
The Peacocks play Quinnipiac next on Friday at 7 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on ESPNU as the Peacocks and Bobcats faceoff at M&T Bank Arena.
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST HALF: The Peacocks scored the first points of the game when Zeigler converted an AND-1 layup. Saint Peter's then trailed, 3-7, early before a 3-pointer from Zeigler made it 6-7. Sacred Heart made it 9-6 with a layup, but Saint Peter's responded with a 9-2 run, taking a 15-11 lead.
Both teams started trading buckets as the Peacocks still led 17-15. Saint Peter's then went on an 8-0 run before the Pioneers hit a 3-pointer. After the made 3, the Peacocks scored six unanswered to take their largest lead of the game at 31-18. The run was highlighted by a fastbreak dunk by
Tyreck Morris after a steal from Zeigler.
With under five minutes to go in the first half, Sacred Heart started to chip away at its deficit. The Pioneers cut it to eight at 25-33 with a 3 and a free throw. Saint Peter's led 40-31 at the break.
SECOND HALF: The Pioneers opened the second half outscoring the Peacocks 10-to-1 to tie the game at 41-41. Saint Peter's called a timeout to talk things over. Out of the timeout, Sacred Heart tacked on two more buckets, taking a 45-41 lead.
Later on,
Mouhamed Sow knocked down a shot from behind the arc to cut it to two.
Zaakir Williamson then tied the game at 50-50 with a pair of free throws. The Pioneers started to gain some momentum with consecutive makes as they led 61-55.
Saint Peter's responded tremendously with a 15-1 run over the next five minutes to retake the lead, 70-62. Eaton led the charge for the Peacocks with 10 of those 15 points. Saint Peter's continued to extend its lead as the Pioneers struggled to make shots down the stretch. The Peacocks secured an 85-79 victory.
UP NEXT
The Peacocks face a tough road trip ahead with games against Quinnipiac on Friday, Feb. 28 and Marist on Sunday, March 2. The game against Quinnipiac will be broadcast live on ESPNU while the game against Marist will be on ESPN+.
NOTES
Saint Peter's moves to 3-0 all-time vs. Sacred Heart and 2-0 against the Pioneers at home…the Peacocks' 85 points was their second most in a game all season…Eaton scored a career-high 27 points…Zeigler recorded his first career double-double (points-rebounds).
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