RIVERDALE, N.Y. – The Saint Peter's men's basketball team picked up an 80-75 victory over Manhattan on Thursday at Draddy Gymnasium behind big performances from
Bryce Eaton and
Lucas Scroggins. The Peacocks prevailed in a tight game, staying composed down the stretch in opposing territory.
The Peacocks (13-8, 10-3 MAAC) did a tremendous job taking care of the basketball from the opening tip to the final whistle, as they committed a season-low four turnovers. On the other end, the Jaspers (9-16, 5-9 MAAC) turned the ball over 12 times, which led to 18 Saint Peter's points off turnovers.
Eaton came up big for the Peacocks in the second half, scoring 14 points over the final 20 minutes. He finished with 21 total points and six assists while not committing a single turnover. Scroggins recorded another double-double (points-rebounds) with 11 points and 12 boards. He now has three double-doubles on the season.
Zaakir Williamson also had an all-around standout performance for Saint Peter's. He racked up 11 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two blocks.
"Those guys have been anchors for us, especially here in conference play," head coach
Bashir Mason said about Scroggins and Williamson. "Scroggins has come on, being that lob threat, and Zaakir just being able to have somebody to dump the ball down to slow the game down and get a bucket or a foul, they're super important for us."
Next, the Peacocks face a tough test in Siena, the team that commits the least amount of turnovers on average in MAAC play.
NOTES
Saint Peter's is now 62-69 all-time against the Jaspers and 21-31 against them on the road…Scroggins recorded his third double-double of the season…
Elijah Perkins finished with 10 points and five assists, both career-highs…the last time the Peacocks committed less than five turnovers in a game was when they had four against Albany on March 16, 2017.
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST HALF: The Peacocks started fast at Draddy Gymnasium as a 3-pointer by Williamson put them up 12-2 just five minutes into the game. Saint Peter's kept its foot on the pedal over the next few minutes, building a 23-6 lead over the Jaspers. Manhattan responded well, however, cutting its deficit to eight points with a series of layups. The eight-point difference stayed the same as the Peacocks led 43-35 at halftime.
SECOND HALF: Just a couple of minutes into the second half, the Jaspers knocked down a 3-pointer to come within three at 45-48. Eaton then hit shots on back-to-back possessions to give the Peacocks a bit of a cushion. Saint Peter's held a 10-point advantage, but at the 11-minute mark, Manhattan started storming back. Nine unanswered points by the Jaspers made it 59-60 game with eight minutes to go.
As the game wound down, the Peacocks were up three with a chance to make it a two-possession game. Eaton missed a floater, but Scroggins grabbed the offensive board and put it back in for a layup to put the Peacocks up five. Not long after, Eaton lobbed one up to Perkins for a slam, putting the nail in the coffin as Saint Peter's won, 80-75.
UP NEXT
Saint Peter's returns to Jersey City to play the Siena Saints on Saturday, Feb. 7, at 2 p.m. ET. The Peacocks and Saints both rank in the top three in the MAAC.
