Saint Peter's 84, FDU 58: Tempo-Free Recap

Fordham University saw Saint Peter's go 2-1 in Johnny Bach Classic, hosted by Rams at Rose Hill Gym. (Photo by Ray Floriani/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

By Ray Floriani (@rfloriani)

BRONX, NY - For a good part of the opening half, it was a one or two-possession affair. That changed in an instant.

Saint Peter’s went on a 21-8 run the final five minutes of the half, and never looked back on the way to a convincing 84-58 victory over FDU at Rose Hill Gym. The Johnny Bach Classic at Fordham saw the Peacocks finish with two wins in three games. The only loss was to Fordham. FDU ended 1-2 for the weekend.

Just about everything needed to understand the first half could be summed with this play in its final seconds: FDU, down 49-31, is holding the ball for one last shot. The Knights lose the ball, Saint Peter’s Chazz Patterson picks it up, takes a few dribbles and fires up a desperation acrobatic thirtysomething-footer. It goes in. The officials review determined Patterson’s release was after the buzzer, disallowing the basket. No three-pointer, but a pertinent example of the type of day it was for Greg Herenda’s club.  

The Peacocks scorched the stat sheet with a 163 first half offensive efficiency. FDU was obviously deficient on defense, especially perimeter closeouts. Give the MAAC representatives credit for making the extra pass and locating shooters with a good look. The Peacocks shot 7-of- 9 from deep en route to an astronomical 72 percent eFG percentage. Three turnovers and a 9 percent turnover rate did not exactly hinder their offense.

The start of the second half saw Saint Peter’s force turnovers in the Knights’ first three possessions. The last two possessions before the sixteen-minute mark saw an FDU field goal and one of two free throws. Three points, five possessions, a 60 offensive efficiency and a Peacocks lead that expanded to 22. They were never threatened from that point on.

 

The numbers of note:

Possessions: Saint Peter’s 57, FDU 60

Offensive efficiency: Saint Peter’s 147, FDU 97

Four Factors:

eFG%: Saint Peter’s 55, FDU 53

Free Throw Rate: Saint Peter’s 52, FDU 30

Offensive Rebound%: Saint Peter’s 53, FDU 19

Turnover Rate: Saint Peter’s 9, FDU 20

Leading scorers and EF:

Saint Peter’s - Trevis Wyche 17 points, EF 22 (0 turnovers)

FDU - Darian Anderson 16 points, EF 19

What Saint Peter’s did well: Shoot the ball and limit turnovers. The Peacocks’ eFG mark was highlighted by shooting 10-of-23 from long range. They cooled off in the second half, but still kept the turnover count down with only nine for the game.

What FDU did well: Despite the one-sided loss, the Knights did shoot well. The ability of their guards to get in the lane impressed Saint Peter’s coach John Dunne.

The Peacocks spread the wealth with six players in double figures, achieving that milestone for the first time in Dunne’s tenure. They also enjoyed a 2.8:1 assist-to-turnover ratio (14 assists, 5 turnovers). FDU struggled in that category, with six assists and a dozen miscues.

FDU did lead 34-24 on points in the paint. Remember the guard penetration Dunne alluded to. Saint Peter’s pounded the boards to the tune of a 30-4 lead in second chance points.

Perimeter and rebounding proved to be the winning combination for Saint Peter’s, now 2-2. FDU dropped to 2-3.

Almost overshadowed by the offensive display, the Peacock defense was sound. A total of 58 points and 97 efficiency allowed can get you a win quite often.

“We turned the ball over a lot against Fordham. We had a quick turnaround from the late game on Friday to Saturday, which was tough. Today, we took care of the ball and shared the ball. We do have a lot of skill players, guys who can make shots if they are there. Having a low turnover count was something we really stressed coming into this game.” - Saint Peter’s coach John Dunne