Peacocks strut into MAAC title game on Mouhamed Sow’s buzzer-beater

Mouhamed Sow’s putback at buzzer sends Saint Peter’s back to MAAC championship game for second time in three years. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

By Vincent Simone (@VTSimone)

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Mouhamed Sow’s buzzer-beating putback lifted Saint Peter’s past regular season champion and top-seeded Quinnipiac Friday, providing the final margin in a 62-60 win in the MAAC tournament semifinals.

The fifth-seeded Peacocks now return to the conference title game for the second time in three years, having won the MAAC tournament championship in 2022 on the way to becoming the first No. 15 seed in NCAA Tournament history to reach a regional final.

In contrast to its previous two meetings with Quinnipiac — both high-scoring losses — Saint Peter’s controlled the tempo and succeeded in slowing down Quinnipiac's league-leading offense the third time around.

“We knew we couldn’t play a high-scoring game with them,” senior guard Latrell Reid, the MAAC Defensive Player of the Year, said. “Honestly, we wanted to win the game 2-0, and I mean that.”

“I wanted to score the two, though,” he added with a laugh.

Quinnipiac held a 30-29 advantage at halftime, but Saint Peter’s quickly jumped back in front thanks to a Sow three-pointer on the first possession out of the intermission. The 6-foot-9 forward entered the evening with just six made threes on the season, but connected on three Friday night.

“We had a walkthrough earlier, and Coach told me, ‘Mo, you have to hit at least one or two to open up the game,’” Sow said. “In my mind going into the game, everybody has faith in me and I’m just going to try to hit whatever comes my way.”

The Peacocks used a 13-3 run to open a 10-point lead with 7:22 to play, and appeared ready to cruise to victory, but MAAC Player of the Year Matt Balanc kicked into high gear in an effort to save Quinnipiac's season. Balanc scored nine of his team-high 15 points over the final 5:09, including an off-balance corner three that knotted the game at 60 with just 13 seconds remaining.

Inbounding from mid-court on the ensuing possession, Saint Peter’s Roy Clarke drove through a contested lane and threw up a layup attempt that bounced off the iron and into the waiting hands of Sow, who sent the Peacocks and their supporters into a frenzy as the final horn sounded.

“I just followed Roy,” Sow — who noted he has been fasting for Ramadan — said. “I had faith in him that he was going to make it, but I was like, ‘if you don’t make it, I’ll just go try to get an offensive rebound and put it back in.’”

By his own recollection, it was the first buzzer-beater of Sow’s career.

“The term we use all the time is ‘finish,’ and we didn’t finish that play,” Quinnipiac head coach Tom Pecora lamented. “It’s not about the game-winning shot, it’s about making sure there’s not a second opportunity.”

Saint Peter’s path to the MAAC tournament final has gone through two teams that each swept the Peacocks during the regular season, in Rider and now Quinnipiac. As the old adage goes, it’s tough to beat a team three times. The Peacocks have proven the mantra true thus far this postseason, and will have a chance to do so again on Saturday against a Fairfield team that also took both regular season contests between the two schools.

“They brought it more,” Quinnipiac point guard Savion Lewis said. “When you beat a team twice, it’s even more important that you come in with energy and focus. They came in more hungry and we didn’t match it.”

As Saint Peter’s sits on the doorstep of another NCAA Tournament bid, Reid — a seldom-used guard on the Peacocks’ Cinderella squad two years ago — reflected on the opportunity presented to his team Saturday night.

“You get a chance to make history or do something special,” he proposed. “You’ve gotta go out and grab it.”