Courtesy of SaintPetersPeacocks.com.
JERSEY CITY, NJ — The Saint Peter’s men’s basketball team (3-4) managed to come back from a 23-point first-half deficit and make it a two-point game mid-way through the second stanza. A late 15-6 run by the visiting Boston University Terriers (2-5) however, reestablished a double-digit lead to seal a 74-66 victory.
Saint Peter’s has now dropped four straight contests after opening up the season with a 3-0 record.
Boston gave up an 18-point half-time advantage, but was able to go up again by 12 in the final 50 seconds. Yvon Raymond brought the Peacocks within 6 with 24 ticks on the clock, but Boston’s John Papale went 2-2 from the line two seconds later to ice the win.
Desi Washington poured in a career-high 32 points in the loss, 22 of which came in the second half.
Raymond, Blaise Ffrench and Markese Tucker also finished in double figures for Saint Peter’s, contributing 11, 10 and 10 points each.
Ffrench added 8 assists, 3 steals, 5 rebounds, while Raymond came away with 8 caroms.
The Peacocks entered the first media timeout of the contest trailing the Terriers 7-4. Boston would come out of the intermission draining back-to-back treys to jump in front nine (13-4) and force Head Coach John Dunne to burn a time out. The visitors expanded their lead to sixteen (30-7) over the following ten minutes, outscoring Saint Peter’s by a 17-3 margin. During that spurt, the Peacocks were 0-10 from the field and committed 4 turnovers.
With three minutes left to play in the frame however, the Peacocks erupted for a 9-0 run, led by 5 points from sophomore Desi Washington. A three-ball form the corner by Boston’s John Papale broke the spurt, but Washington responded with a trey of his own on the following possession to make the score 35-19. The Terriers added a final bucket before entering the half-time break with a 37-19 advantage.
For the half, the Peacocks shot a season-low 25% (5-20) from the floor and 33.3% from long distance.
Saint Peter’s opened up the second stanza on a 5-0 run, with all their points scored by Washington. At the fourteen minute mark, the Peacocks came up with consecutive offensive boards, that led to a reverse layup by sophomore Markese Tucker to make the score 44-33. Two made free throws by Tucker three minutes later brought Saint Peter’s within ten (51-41)- the closest they had been since the ten-minute mark of the first half.
The Peacocks came within single-digits for the first time since 10:31 in the first half, after a transition layup by Washington. With 9:14 remaining, a poised Raymond hit two free throws to make the score 51-47.
A trey by Washington off the feed by Blaise Ffrench made it a two-point game (54-52) for the first time since the seventeen minute mark of the opening stanza. The visitors would go ahead and open up a 7 point advantage with over six to play, until a floater off the glass by Tucker brought the Peacocks within three (59-56).
That would be the closest Saint Peter’s would get, as the Terriers connected on three treys in the next two minutes to reestablish a double-digit lead.
The Peacocks did however show resilience coming within 6 points twice; with 42 seconds and later 24 seconds remaining.
For the game, the Peacocks shot 40.4% percent from the floor, 37.% from three-point range. In the second half, the hosts shot 51.9%.
Saint Peter’s went 22-23 from the line, 95.7%, in the game (15-15, 2nd half); their best display of free throw shooting this year.
BU shot 49.1% from the floor, 50% from downtown. In the second half the Terriers connected on 7 of 12 three-balls (58.3%).
The hosts had a slight edge in rebounds, pulling down 30 boards to Boston U.’s 29. They did however commit more turnovers than the visitors, 18-14.
Saint Peter’s opens up the 2012-13 MAAC slate this Wednesday with a 7pm home match against Iona.
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