JERSEY CITY, NJ Keydren Clark scored 25 points, including six in the overtime period, to lift St. Peter's to an 80-76 win over UNC Greensboro in men's basketball action at the Yanitelli Center on Saturday afternoon.
UNCG (11-15) trailed by as many as 22 early in the second half before pulling off a furious comeback.
Clark, who is third in the nation in scoring at 26.2 ppg, moved into 10th place on the college basketball all-time scoring list, passing Hall of Famer Kelvin Hayes. The Peacocks (13-13) also got 20 points and 12 rebounds from Todd Sowell and 18 points and nine rebounds from Raul Orta.
Kyle Hines led UNCG with 29 points and 11 rebounds, his ninth double-double this season and the 20th of his career. Hines has now scored in double figures in 16 consecutive games, which ties for the eighth-longest streak in school history. His 29 points tied a career-high.
Dwayne Johnson provided a big spark in his homecoming. The sophomore from just across the river in Queens, NY had a career-high 18 points, 16 of them after halftime. He was a perfect 13-for-13 from the free throw line. His 13 made free throws were the second-most in a game in school history.
Ricky Hickman also chipped in with 14 points and 11 rebounds, his second double-double of his career. He extended his string of games in double figures to 24 straight games, two shy of the Robert Bryant's school record.
“I am proud of my team,” said UNCG coach Mike Dement. “We didn't quit. We showed character this afternoon. We were down 19 at the half and never quit. We just kept on battling against a great player. Clark is a great player and we did a good job on him and never gave up today.”
After UNCG scored the first two buckets of the game, the Peacocks went out on a 14-2 run to open up an early eight-point lead. Orta knocked down four three-pointers over the next six minutes as St. Peter's extended its lead to 29-14 with nine minutes left in the first half. Shooting 57 percent from the floor in the first half and committing just two turnovers, the Peacocks maintained that advantage for the remainder of the half, taking a 44-25 lead into the intermission.
UNCG turned up the defensive intensity in the second half, limiting St. Peter's to just four field goals in the first nine minutes of the second half. Scoring just four field goals themselves in that time, UNCG knocked down 12-of-14 from the line to trail 55-46 with 11 minutes to play.
The Spartans cut it to five, 55-50, before St. Peter's ended its drought with a breakaway lay-up by Clark at the 7:17 mark. UNCG looked like it was about to run out of gas when Johnson provided a spark. Johnson knocked down a 24-footer from above the top of the key and then followed on UNCG's next possession with a conventional three-point play to cut it to 62-58 with 3:21 to play.
Hickman scored when he drove the right side of the lane with 1:07 to bring UNCG within one, 66-65. The Peacocks called timeout with 57.9 seconds left, but Kyle Hines blocked a shot and it went off of a St. Peter's player. UNCG went back to Hines on the other end and he scored with 11.7 seconds left to give the Spartans the lead, 67-66.
Clark, however, drove the left side and was tripped, sending him to the line with 3.5 seconds to play. He made both free throws, but then fouled Hickman with 0.5 seconds left. Hickman made the first, but back-ironed the second and time expired before the Peacocks could get a shot off to send the game to overtime.
UNCG grabbed a three-point lead midway through the extra session. A tip-in by David McClenny and a bucket in the lane by Hines gave UNCG a 76-73 lead with 2:43 to play. But that would be UNCG's last points of the afternoon.
Clark hit a jumper to cut it back to one. After a UNCG turnover, Todd Sowell was fouled and hit one of two at the line to tie the game. Hickman missed a three-pointer and then fouled Clark on the rebound on the next possession. Clark hit one of two to give St. Peter's the lead. After another scoreless possession, Kiamondre Owes scored in the lane to make it 79-76 with 13 seconds left. UNCG failed on its next possession and Raul Orta knocked down one of two at the line to put it out of reach.
UNCG returns to action on Tuesday when it visits Western Carolina for a 7 pm Southern Conference contest.
AGATE
UNC GREENSBORO (11-15) - HINES, Kyle 12-20 5-7 29; JOHNSON, Dwayne 2-8 13-13 18; HICKMAN, Ricky 5-16 1-2 14; McCLENNY, David 2-5 3-4 7; SIMMONS, Everson 0-4 4-4 4; BECKFORD, Brian 0-4 2-4 2; AKINOSHO, Matt 0-1 1-2 1; CAMPBELL, Marc 0-0 1-2 1; MOORE, Donald 0-0 0-0 0; TOOMS, Bart 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-58 30-38 76.
SAINT PETER'S COLLEGE (13-13) - Clark, Keydren 9-23 3-4 25; Sowell, Todd 7-12 6-8 20; Orta, Raul 5-11 4-6 18; Owes, Kaimondre 5-10 2-2 12; Martin, Quentin 1-2 1-2 3; Spann, Kevin 1-2 0-0 2; Reeves, Kinzey 0-2 0-0 0; Gore, Michael 0-0 0-0 0; Traore, Ismaila 0-0 0-0 0; Spitler, Tim 0-0 0-0 0; Hooker, Derrick 0-0 0-0 0; Brock, Brandon 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 28-62 16-22 80.
Halftime: St. Peter's 44-25. 3-point goals-UNC Greensboro 4-19 (HICKMAN, Ricky 3-8; JOHNSON, Dwayne 1-5; SIMMONS, Everson 0-2; BECKFORD, Brian 0-1; McCLENNY, David 0-3), Saint Peter's College 8-23 (Clark, Keydren 4-13; Orta, Raul 4-8; Owes, Kaimondre 0-1; Reeves, Kinzey 0-1). Fouled out-UNC Greensboro -None, Saint Peter's College -None. Rebounds-UNC Greensboro 42 (HINES, Kyle 11; HICKMAN, Ricky 11), Saint Peter's College 35 (Sowell, Todd 12). Assists-UNC Greensboro 8 (JOHNSON, Dwayne 5), Saint Peter's College 14 (Clark, Keydren 6). Total fouls-UNC Greensboro 18, Saint Peter's College 23. Att: 1937
SIDELINES: Kevin Oleksiak missed a game for the first time in his career on Saturday. Olesiak had played in all 55 games during his UNCG tenure, but suffered an injury in the latter part of practice on Thursday night. He remained in Greensboro and is questionable for UNCG's trip to Western Carolina on Tuesday. Brian Beckford got the nod in his place... The game was a homecoming for UNCG's Brian Beckford and Dwayne Johnson, both New York City natives. Both had numerous friends and family in attendance, as did Kyle Hines. Hines' family members made the 90-minute trip of the New Jersey Turnpike for Saturday's game... St. Peter's played without forward Ivan Bozovic. The 6-9 Bozovic re-aggravated an ankle injury in Tuesday's game at Fairfield... Ricky Hickman made his 100th career three-pointer at the 13:04 mark of the first half. He is the ninth Spartan to achieve the milestone. The trey also extended his streak of consecutive games with a three-pointer. He now has made one in 22 straight games, which is tied with Jay Joseph for the fourth-longest streak in school history... Hines moved into 19th place on the UNCG career scoring list with 877 points. He has an outside shot at getting to 1,000 before the end of this season, depending on the length of UNCG's postseason.
- UNCG -
