SPU Head Coach Bashir Mason: “When we defend, rebound, and stay connected, we can win games.”
JERSEY CITY — It could be the “Blackout” at Run Baby Run Arena on Friday night. Fans and Saint Peter’s athletic staff wore black for the occasion. Or perhaps it was love in the air on Valentine’s Day, as Saint Peter’s Peacocks coach Bashir Mason pointed out after the game.
No matter, in a season where everything seems to have gone wrong, everything went right for the Peacocks on this night. In their best performance of the season, the Peacocks beat the Stags 65-52, outrebounding Fairfield 44-28 and getting 36 bench points. The home team also shot 84.4% free throws, including 95 percent in the second half.
The best news of all? The Peacocks snapped a five-game losing streak.
SPU’s Bashir Mason: I’m happy we won. It was a long time coming. I couldn’t be more happy for this group. At Manhattan, I thought we played well enough to win. When you lose a game like that, when these guys are already down and out, to be able to respond this way and keep going, it says a lot about them and that we’re going in the right direction. We must continue fighting, pushing forward, and making our luck.
When Braden Sparks’ 3-pointer gave the Stags a 30-29 lead on a fastbreak in the second half, the Peacocks (8-13, 3-10 MAAC) responded with a 17-1 run, including three-3-pointers, giving them a 46-31 lead. Fairfield (9-16, 5-9 MAAC) then went on a 9-0 run to cut the Peacocks’ lead to 46-40 after Prophet Johnson’s jumper.
The Peacocks took control of the game after Marcus Randolph hit four free throws to start a 13-5 run. The home team took a 59-45 lead and never looked back, making 20 of 21 free throws in the second half.
“Maturation game for him,” Mason said of Randolph’s 13-point night. “He never let his emotion get the best of him after he missed shots early. That’s what he played down the stretch.”
Not to be outdone, Armoni Ziegler put in one of his best performances of the season, scoring 14 points and grabbing six rebounds, earning a plus-20 for the game. Bryce Eaton added 13 for the Peacocks, including all his six free throws in the second half.
Kyle Jenkins led Fairfield with 12 points. Jamie Bargens and Sparks each added 11 points for the visitors.
As you would expect at a MAAC game, it was chippy with plenty of pushing and shoving, including guys crashing to the floor.
What can the Peacocks learn and apply with seven games remaining on the regular-season schedule? “When we defend, rebound, and stay connected, we can win games,” Mason said. You can see if that happens Sunday at 2 PM Eastern when St. Peter’s hosts Rider (10-15) on ESPN+.
