“We have learned through losing and winning,” SPU head coach Jennifer Leedham said. “A game like this validates our process.”
JERSEY CITY, NJ, Saturday, January 18: When Jennifer Leedham took over the Saint Peter’s Peacocks women’s basketball program in 2022, she was tasked with building it up. This meant trusting the process of finding players to play together who would fit her offensive attack style, which is a shoot-first team. The fruits of her labor may have come to fruition.
With a gritty 56-53 victory over the Sacred Heart Pioneers Saturday afternoon at Yanitelli Center (where they are 5-1 this season), the Peacocks reached their fourth conference win in seven games to go 6-10 for the season.
“It’s about trusting what we do,” Leedham said about her team’s growth. “We have a long-term vision of finding the right players to play the right way. It’s about communicating and playing together.”
The win showed the type of growth the Peacocks displayed by responding to adversity when they trailed 48-45 with 5:43 remaining in regulation after entering the fourth quarter with a 42-37 lead.
The Pioneers (5-11, 1-6 MAAC) moved by starting the fourth quarter on an 11-3 run that gave them a 48-45 lead.
The Peacocks had an answer to the Pios’ run when Fatmata Janneh’s jumper and Nikola Zdenkova’s 3-pointer helped them regain a 50-48 lead. After Amelia Wood’s jumper tied the game at 50 and Nalyce Dudley’s 3-pointer gave the Pios a 53-52 lead with 46 seconds to go in the game, Peacocks point guard Louella Allana made the play of the game by finding an open Laila Grant, who executed a layup, giving the Peacocks a 54-53 lead with 19 seconds to go.
Jennifer Leedham: Louella is a pure point guard. We trust her to make connections and find her teammates. As a coach, it’s nice to see.
Zdenkova then hit two free throws to put the finishing touches to the game.
The Peacocks’ win overshadowed Ny’Ceara Pryor’s day for the Pioneers. The Pioneers’ junior point guard willed her team on a comeback by scoring 12 of her game-high 23 points in the second half, including 10 in the third quarter. She took charge, which often had her in the free-throw line. She even created turnovers. “Pryor’s unbelievable,” Leedham marveled. “She leads our conference in scoring. She makes the right players. Give credit where it’s due.”
Janneh led the Peacocks with her fourth straight double-double, scoring 16 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. It was her eighth double-double of the season. Grant added 15 points on 6-for-12 from the field, 3-for-7 on the 3-point line, and Zdenkova contributed 10 points on 3-for-6 shooting. Allana dished out seven assists in the Peacocks’ attack.
Saint Peter’s will return to action on Thursday when it plays at Merrimack (7-9, 3-4) at 7 PM. You can watch the contest on ESPN+.
