JERSEY CITY, N.J. - The Saint Peter's women's basketball team was defeated in a heartbreaking contest against Sacred Heart 61-63 on Saturday, Feb. 14 at Run Baby Run Arena in Jersey City, N.J.
The Peacocks despite the defeat played an unbelievable game, rallying back and holding the Pioneers to only five points in the fourth quarter. Along with the great defense, four Saint Peter's players finished with double digit points.
De'Naya Rippey was the leading scorer for the Peacocks, finishing with 16 points to go along with seven rebounds and three steals, the most by any Peacock.
Nikola Zdenkova was next with 12 points on four 3-pointers, including one that crossed the century mark for 100 career 3-point makes.
Jayshlynn Vega and
Jada Mills provided the scoring off the bench with Vega finishing the game with 11 points, and Mills scoring 10 herself.
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST QUARTER: Rippey scored the first basket for the Peacocks on a pair of free throws. Zdenkova scored the next basket for the Peacocks on a long range 3-pointer. Rippey added another bucket for Saint Peter's with a driving layup to head into the media timeout with a score of 9-21. Zdenkova cashed in on another triple coming out of the timeout. Mills scored again following a drive inside and laying a shot up with the shot clock expiring. Mills added another two points on a perfect trip to the free throw line with about a minute to go. But in large part to a monster scoring performance by the Pionerrs, the first quarter ended in favor of Sacred Heart 16-27.
SECOND QUARTER: Vega got the scoring started in the second with a big time triple from the corner. Zdenkova added another triple to her total with a long range find to make the score 22-31. The Peacocks followed it up with a pair of baskets by Rippey and
Carys Roy. Another triple by Zdenkova gave the Peacocks a 32-37 score with another basket from Mills. After another basket by Rippey,
Eszter Turi erupted with a huge block on the defensive end that awoke the crowd. After a three point swing by a basket inside from Rippey and a free throw by Roy, the lead by the Pioneers had been shrunk to a 35-40 score with two minutes left in the first half. After a layup by the Pioneers, the Peacocks shut out the rest of the quarter on defense to head into halftime with a score of 35-42.
THIRD QUARTER: Layla Laws knocked down the first basket for the Peacocks on a beautiful euro step layup. Mills continued to score with a triple from the corner following a great pass from Vega. Another layup by Laws put the score at 42-52 heading into the media timeout. Rippey knocked down the first basket on a second chance basket and added another for good measure. Vega later continued the hot scoring for Saint Peters with a triple from the corner. With that triple being the last basket in the third, the score remained at 49-58 heading into the fourth.
FOURTH QUARTER: Roy knocked down the first basket to begin the fourth on a spinning layup inside. After a brief period of no scoring by either side, Rippey responded by driving inside and drawing the foul to sink a pair of free throws. After another basket inside by Vega, the score sat at 55-63 with another half of the quarter to go and head into the media timeout. Roy knocked down a free throw coming out of the timeout thanks to a great no-look pass from
Louella Allana to draw the foul. Thanks in large part to solid defensive play by the Pioneers, the Peacocks went scoreless for the next three minutes before a pair of free throws by Rippey led to a Vega triple to make the score 61-63 with thirty seconds left. But unfortunately a defensive stop by Sacred Heart put the nail in the coffin for the Peacocks with a final score 61-63.
UP NEXT: Saint Peter's heads onto the road for a duel with Fairfield on Thursday, Feb 19 at 7 pm.
