Saint Peter’s holds off Rider to win second straight, move closer to middle of MAAC standings

By Andrew Hefner (@Ahef_NJ)

JERSEY CITY, N.J. — The fight for the coveted MAAC crown is in full swing, but this year, the battle to avoid the bottom is just as exciting as the one at the top.

Saint Peter’s is no stranger to March success, having won the MAAC five times, including last season, and most famously making it to the Elite Eight just three years ago. Now, however, the Peacocks find themselves fighting amongst the bottom half of the conference, hoping to scrape out now much-needed wins like the one they brought home this Sunday. 

Following Saint Peter’s first home conference win of the season Friday, the Peacocks moved up one place in the MAAC standings. Heading into Sunday’s matchup with Rider, the Peacocks were on the outside looking in with regard to the MAAC tournament, following the implementation of a new format in the offseason, leaving the bottom three squads home while the top ten battle it out in Atlantic City.

Despite the disappointment, the Peacocks are still rallying for a spot and after the big win against Rider, head Bashir Mason explained, “it’s really just to keep our hopes alive, our hope of playoffs alive. We know where we are in the standings. We know what we have to do to get there, which is to win every game. You know, we haven’t particularly played great here at home in the conference play, so the fact that we've been able to put together back-to-back wins here at home gives us a little bit more momentum right now.”

To start the in-state matchup, Rider entered the game hot with a big three from junior Zion Cruz, who most recently dropped an impressive 18 points in the Broncs' last matchup against Iona. Rider continued applying the early pressure, adding three quick layups to quickly put the Peacocks in a 9-0 hole.

“I thought it was an energy thing and a timid thing by us,” Mason said of the slow start. “Not starting Bryce (Eaton), not starting Armoni Zeigler, two guys who probably deserve to start, we’re putting pressure on ourselves. We have to win these games. I thought a couple guys just came out a little bit timid, but I also thought they were tough shots that those guys made and I was okay with that.”

After the first timeout, however, Saint Peter’s was anything but timid. Rejuvenated by Bryce Eaton and Armoni Zeigler off of the bench, the Peacocks got their scoring started, bringing the game back within two before ultimately tying it at 19 midway through the first half. The tie would not last long, as junior big man Mouhamed Sow joined the fun with two big buckets, while helping to facilitate the court expertly. Sow missed multiple games earlier this year due to injury, so it seemed the Peacocks were elatd to have him back at full capacity.

While time continued to tick down in the first half, Saint  Peter's did as well, ultimately owning a 32-23 lead after a big three-point play from Sow. Rider, though, was not finished. With three minutes left before halftime, the Broncs took and made smart shots with the help of Tariq Ingraham, scoring eight straight points to cut the Peacock lead to 32-31 when the buzzer sounded. Neither team would be able to run away in the second half, as constant back-and-forth scoring from both sides kept the win within reach.

“I reminded us this morning of who we are,” Mason recalled. “Regardless of what our record is and how things have been going in terms of wins and losses, we're a top 15 team in the country defensively, and offensive rebounds, we're number 15 in the country as well. So our identity is there, we just have to play to it.”

Mason’s squad certainly played to its identity after halftime in the second, scoring big second-chance buckets while keeping the all-important matchup close. The Broncs did not rest easy either, as the tandem of Cruz and TJ Weeks put up a combined 21 points in the last half to keep Rider close.

In the end, the game would be decided by free throws and fouls, with freshman Flash Burton of Rider coming up short on his two tries before a controversial tripping call sent Eaton to the line to finish it out for the Peacocks.

“Welcome back to Saint Peter's basketball,” Mason said. “Toughness, defending, rebounding, connection, being locked into each other. For us to be able to win a game like that against that caliber opponent, I think it says a lot about where we're heading right now.”

Saint Peter's will be heading next to Mount St. Mary’s, currently fourth in the MAAC, for an important matchup with more playoff implications on the line. Tipoff for the Friday night contest is slated for 7 p.m.