Missed third quarter scoring opportunities came back to haunt the Peacocks.
JERSEY CITY—Senior Day could have been special for the Peacocks. They had an opportunity to secure a signature win, validating the program’s breakthrough season under third-year coach Jennifer Leedham. The team has qualified for the MAAC Tournament despite losing Carys Roy, Reilly Sunday, and Layla Laws for the entire season. It also had a chance to achieve a .500 record in conference play (after winning only four conference games last season) if they could register the team’s fifth win in seven games.
But it was not meant to be. Despite Fatmata Janneh’s game-tying three with three seconds left, the Peacocks took a 63-61 home loss to the Marist Red Foxes Saturday afternoon when Lexie Tarul hit the buzzer-beater layup over Maya Hyacienth to cap off a 20-point performance. For her part, Janneh finished the contest with a game-high 28 points and 15 rebounds and her 16th double-double of the season.
“Obviously, a tough loss,” Leedham glumed. “Give credit to Marist, a well-coached, disciplined team.”
While the final score came down to Tarul’s game-winner, the Peacocks (10-17, 8-10 MAAC) missed four scoring opportunities in the third quarter that could have given the Peacocks a six-point lead heading to the fourth quarter. Marist (16-12, 11-7), winners of four in a row, made the Peacocks pay in that quarter when Maea Egan’s 3-pointer cut the home team’s lead to 44-42, and Tarul’s 3 cut the visitors’ deficit to 48-46 at the end of the third quarter.
Jennifer Leedham: The lesson we can learn from the recent two losses is that we have to be disciplined. With discipline comes maturity.
The teams scored 15 points each in a frantic fourth quarter battle. With 3:39 left in the game, Janneh, earning hit a 3 to tie the game at 56. Then, with 49 seconds to go, Ciara Croker’s layup gave Marist a 58-56 lead and Williamsen made one of two free throws with 29 seconds to go, to make it 59-56. After a Janneh layup cut the lead to one at 59-58, Taural was fouled, went to the line, and hit both free throws to put the Red Foxes ahead by three, 61-58, with 17 seconds remaining in the game. The last five points of the game came on Janneh’s three-pointer and Tarul’s game-winning layin.
The Red Foxes started the game by shooting 60 percent overall and 50 percent from the 3-point line. They also forced the Peacocks to make eight turnovers, made five of seven throws, and took a 20-10 first quarter lead. The Peacocks found their shooting groove in the second quarter, shooting 56 percent overall and 50 percent on the 3-point line, and those performances enbled St. Peter’s to tie the game at 36 by halftime.
“I was proud of our fight in the second quarter,” Leedham said. “We have to play well for all 40 minutes.”
Despite the loss, Leedham’s program is on the rise, and will head confidently to the MAAC Tournament next week after the Peacocks finish the season on the road this week against two struggling teams, 2-24 (1-17) Niagara on Thursday and 8-20 (7-11) Canisius on Saturday.
“We are hungry for more,” Leedham said. “We have taken our lumps. We are going to keep pushing forward.”
