Emmitsburg, Md. (February 21, 2025)--Mount St. Mary's used a strong defensive effort in the second half to surge to a 69-58 victory over Saint Peter's on Friday night at Knott Arena.
Terrell Ard Jr., celebrating his 24th birthday today, led the Mount with 18 points and 13 rebounds in the victory. The Mountaineers have won three in a row to improve to 16-10 overall and 9-6 in the MAAC.
Trailing 36-30 at the half, the Mount limited Saint Peter's to 22 points in the second half and just six made field goals to rally for the win. The Mountaineers also forced the Peacocks into eight turnovers in the second half after Saint Peter's did not record one in the opening half. Saint Peter's was held to 6-of-25 (.240) shooting in the second half, including a 1-for-11 (.091) performance from beyond the arc. For the game, Saint Peter's shot 31.6 percent overall while hitting 4-of-28 (.143) from beyond the arc.
Mount St. Mary's opened the second half with a 13-to-3 run to take a 43-39 advantage with Ard Jr. and
Dola Adebayo capping the run with buckets in the paint. Saint Peter's responded to take a 50-49 lead with 5:36 on the clock before Ard Jr. fed Adebayo for an alley oop dunk for a 51-50 advantage with 8:10 left.
Carmelo Pacheco added a step-back three-pointer on the next possession to push the Mount advantage to four. Saint Peter's pulled within a pair of points on two occasions, but an Adebayo bucket and a pair of Pacheco free throws pushed the lead to 60-54. Saint Peter's answered with two free throws to make it 60-56, but the Mount closed out the win by scoring the next nine points, starting with an Adebayo jumper that put the Mount ahead, 62-56, with 2:19 left.
Ard Jr. finished with 18 points, 13 rebounds and a team-high four assists to pace the Mount to the win. It is Ard Jr. third double-double of the season, and the fifth of his career. Adebayo just missed a double-double, finishing with 14 points and nine boards while
Xavier Lipscomb added 12 points and three assists. Marcus Randolph led Saint Peter's with 17 points.
The Mount jumped out to a 13-to-4 lead in the early going before Saint Peter's took control of the first half. The Peacocks (9-14, 4-11 MAAC) went on an extended 32-to-14 run to build its biggest lead of the game at 36-27 45 second left in the half. The Mount's
Dallas Hobbs connected on a three-pointer on the Mount's next possession to make it 36-30 at the break.
GAME NOTES
- Ard Jr. is averaging 11.3 and 10.7 rebounds over the past three games after missing the previous seven contests due to injury.
- The Mount swept the season series against Saint Peter's to even the all-time series with the Peacocks at five wins each.
- Mount St. Mary's has won five of the past six games to move into fourth place in the MAAC standings with a 9-6 league mark.
- The Mount held a 44-to-36 advantage on the boards.
- Mount St. Mary's committed eight turnovers in the game, the fourth-fewest in a game this season. The Mount entered the game eighth in the nation in turnovers per game.
- Dola Adebayo reached double figures in scoring for the 20th time this year.
UP NEXT: Mount St. Mary's hosts Rider on Sunday, February 23, at 2:00 p.m.
