Saint Peter's Edges QU Men's Basketball In Defensive Struggle

Monday, January 9

Jersey City, NJ

7:00 PM

Quinnipiac University

6-10, 3-3

Saint Peter's University

7-8, 3-2

Team	1	2	F
Quinnipiac	24	30	54
Saint Peter's	30	28	58

Saint Peter's Edges QU Men's Basketball In Defensive Struggle

1/9/2017 9:45:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: QU Sports Information

JERSEY CITY, N.J. – Junior guard Reggie Oliver (Apopka, Fla.) had all 12 of his points in the final eight minutes to nearly lead the QU Men's Basketball team to a comeback win, but Saint Peter's was able to fight off the Bobcat challenge and earn a hard-fought 58-54 home win on Monday evening at the Yanitelli Center.

The loss drops Quinnipiac to 6-10 overall and 3-3 in the MAAC, while Saint Peter's improves to 7-8 overall and 4-3 in league play with the win.

After trailing by six at the break, a put back from freshman guard Peter Kiss (New York, N.Y.) tied the score at 34-34 with 13:48 left. Kiss then had a three-pointer with 10:45 left to give the Bobcats their first lead of the second half at 39-38.

Saint Peter's withstood that challenge, and went on a 9-2 run to take a 47-41 lead with 7:35 to play on a basket by Trevis Wyche. Oliver knocked down a three-pointer to cut that lead in half, then had an acrobatic finish while drawing a foul to make it a 49-47 game with 5:33 to play. A putback from senior forward Donovan Smith (Chicago, Ill.) tied it and Oliver hit a floater in the late to put the Bobcats ahead 51-49 with 3:58 to go.

Wyche tied the score back up with a tough finish over junior forward Chaise Daniels (Meriden, Conn.), but Daniels drew a foul at the other end and made one of two to give Quinnipiac the lead back. Nick Griffin then hit the biggest shot of the game, a three-pointer from the right wing to give the Peacocks a 54-52 lead with 2:23 to go. Quinnipiac had two chances to tie, on a two-point attempt from Smith, and a three-point attempt from freshman guard Mikey Dixon (New Castle, Del.), but both missed the mark.

Oliver hit another shot in the paint with 36 seconds left, making him 5-5 in the second half, to pull Quinnipiac within 56-54, but Saint Peter's got an offensive rebound at the end of the shot clock and Quadir Welton hit both free throws to seal it with 5.7 seconds left.

The first half saw the Bobcats struggle taking care of the ball, as Saint Peter's took a 30-24 lead into the break. Quinnipiac shot 7-17 from the floor in the first half, but had 15 turnovers. A three-pointer from Mikey Dixon had the Bobcats within 23-22 with 3:25 left in the half, but Cavon Baker hit a two and a three on consecutive possessions to push the lead back to six for the Peacocks, which was where it stood at the break.

Oliver was the only Bobcat in double figures on the day with his 12 points. Dixon, the reigning MAAC Rookie of the Week, was held to eight points, ending a streak of 11 straight games in double figures (all with 14 or more), although he was 2-2 at the foul line to extend his streak to 32 straight free throws made. Welton had 15 points and Wyche 13 to lead Saint Peter's, which forced 15 Quinnipiac turnovers in the first half before the Bobcats committed only three after halftime.

Quinnipiac is back in action on Thursday when it travels to take on Siena for an 8 p.m. contest, which will be shown on ESPN3. The Bobcats will then return home on Saturday to meet Iona for a 2 p.m. contest, which will also be shown on ESPN3. For ticket information, contact the TD Bank Sports Center Box Office at (203) 582-3905 or visit online at QuinnipiacBobcats.com.