#1 Rider Upset by #9 Saint Peter’s in MAAC Tournament Quarterfinals

“March Madness” has struck again in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference men’s basketball tournament. This time it comes in the form of a massive upset. On Friday, the nine seed Saint Peter’s Peacocks faced off against the top seed Rider Broncs. Another huge crowd packed Albany’s Times Union Center, which holds 17,500 people.

The Peacocks started out very strong, garnering a 7-1 lead. Rider quickly countered this with multiple strong runs, with the help of guard Stevie Jordan. In the first half, Jordan dropped seven points on 2-2 shooting, along with a pair of made free throws. With four minutes left in the half, Saint Peter’s trailed 25-17. From here on out, their defense was top-notch. They did not allow a single point for the rest of the half. A 10-0 run gave them a 27-25 lead at halftime, and all momentum was going there way with the help of 7 points from Cameron Jones.

As the second half began, the Peacocks picked up right where they left off. For an additional eight minutes they did not allow a made shot, giving themselves a lead of 10 points as the game began to wind down. With several minutes left, the Rider Broncs tried to mount a comeback but failed. They would cut the lead to 9, but the final score was 66-55 in Saint Peter’s favor. This was a massive upset, and certainly shocked fans and viewers alike.

Samuel Idowu had a very strong game, leading all Peacocks with 12 points. He did this on 4-8 shooting from the field, while also managing to pull down 6 rebounds. Saint Peter’s shot 44% for the game, dominating the offensive game completely, considering that Rider made just 15 of 49 shots throughout the contest. The Peacocks dominated every statline, out-rebounding the Broncs 41-35, blocking 4 more shots, and allowing 1 less turnover.

The #1 seed Broncs are done for the season, finishing with an impressive record of 22-9. The Peacocks (14-17 record currently) had Saturday off, and will play Sunday against either Iona or Manhattan in the tournament semifinals. This will be their second straight semifinals and they are hopeful to make a championship run. Anything is possible, and the Peacocks are coasting with four straight wins.