St. Peter's 65, Canisius 54

1/4/2008 9:02 PM

JERSEY CITY, N.J. (AP) -Nick Leon scored 19 points as St. Peter's overcame an 12-point halftime deficit and rolled to a 65-54 win over Canisius on Friday night.

Raul Orta added 11 points and Wesley Jenkins had 10 points, seven rebounds and three steals for the Peacocks (4-9, 1-2 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference). Tomas Vazquez-Simmons came off the bench to score 11 points and pull down seven rebounds for the Golden Griffins (2-11, 0-3), while Pawel Malesa added 11 points.

Canisius appeared to be in command early on, making 44.8 percent of its shots in the first half and taking a 33-21 lead at the break. Meanwhile, the Peacocks were struggling, shooting just 21.4 percent from the floor.

St. Peter's, though, found its touch in the second half and soon took charge, holding double-digit leads and outscoring Canisius 44-21. The Peacocks made 44.1 percent from the floor - including five 3-pointers - while their defense limited the Golden Griffins to just four baskets after the break.