POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – The Saint Peter's men's basketball team earned a gritty, 57-52, victory over Marist on Sunday at McCann Arena while holding the Red Foxes to their lowest scoring total all season.
"They're a really tough team to play against, let alone with one day of preparation," head coach
Bashir Mason said after the win on the road. "We talked about playing some tough, gritty, nasty basketball. We added in some different coverages that we wanted to play today and credit to my guys they went out there and executed it."
The Peacocks (11-15, 6-12 MAAC) were all over second-place Marist (20-7, 13-5 MAAC) from the opening tip to the final buzzer as the Red Foxes shot just 35.6 percent from the field and a season-low 10.5 percent (2-for-19) from 3-point range.
Mouhamed Sow was a key contributor to the road win in what marked Saint Peter's first victory on the road since taking down Sacred Heart in mid-January. He neared a double-double, finishing the game with 13 points and eight rebounds.
Stephon Roberts was also close to a double-double performance with seven points and a game-high 13 boards. He and Sow each tallied two steals while Roberts also added two blocks in 30 minutes played.
Saint Peter's didn't have its best day shooting the basketball, however its defense made up for it. It has been the Peacocks' mantra all season to win games with tough defense and they did just that today.
The Peacocks kept their playoff hopes alive and will look to finish the season strong with two home games remaining against Niagara and Canisius.
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST HALF: Over the first five minutes of the game, Saint Peter's took a 6-4 lead as Sow led the way with two dunks. The Peacocks then tacked on six straight points as a 3-pointer from
Bryce Eaton forced a Marist timeout.
With a 12-6 advantage, Sow made a layup while getting fouled to head to the line. He knocked down the free throw to complete the AND-1. The Red Foxes started to dig into their deficit with a scoring run of their own, making it a 15-17 game. Marist then tied the game with a layup.
Armoni Zeigler knocked down a 3-pointer to put an end to the run while Marist started the game 0-for-8 from long range. A couple minutes later,
Marcus Randolph hit a 3 as well before hitting two shots from the charity stripe as the Peacocks led 27-17 with under a minute remaining in the half.
Saint Peter's led Marist 27-19 at the half while shooting 40.9 percent from the floor as the Red Foxes shot 8-for-28 from the field and 0-for-9 from 3-point range.
SECOND HALF: Both teams traded buckets to start the second half before Sow recorded his second AND-1 of the day, making it 33-23. With the make, he was the first player from either team to reach double figures.
The Red Foxes responded with a 9-0 run to come within one at 32-33. Sow ended Saint Peter's drought with a layup off an inbound pass. The Peacocks led 40-37 but back-to-back jump shots by Marist gave the Red Foxes their first lead of the game.
Zaakir Williamson gained the lead right back for SPU with an AND-1 following an offensive board.
Randolph secured yet another AND-1 for Saint Peter's with a baseline pullup to make it 46-41. With just under six minutes to go in regulation, the Red Foxes hit just their second 3-pointer of the game before a transition layup tied the game at 46-46.
Approaching the two-minute mark, Randolph went to the line and hit two free throws, putting the Peacocks up, 51-48. Marist was then fouled on the other end of the floor and made both shots. After a miss from Zeigler, Sow missed a layup but Roberts got the tip-in to put SPU back up three.
On the defensive end, Randolph picked up a clutch steal and was fouled on the fastbreak layup attempt. He made two shots as the Peacocks led 55-50 with 40 seconds left. Saint Peter's held on for a 57-52 win in the closing moments.
UP NEXT
The Peacocks travel back home for their final two games of the regular season. They will play Niagara on Friday, Mar. 6 before facing Canisius on Senior Day, Sunday, Mar. 8. The games will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
NOTES
Saint Peter's moves to 40-29 all-time vs. Marist and 15-15 against the Red Foxes on the road…the Peacocks held the Red Foxes to their lowest scoring output all season and second-lowest shooting percentage…Randolph led all scorers with 15 points while shooting a perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line.
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