JERSEY CITY, N.J. -- Saint Peter's freshman guard Nick Leon scored 16 of his game-high 19 points in the second half and the host Peacocks held Canisius College to a 20-percent effort from the floor in the game's second half en route to a 65-54 win over the Golden Griffins Friday night in Jersey City, N.J. The win snapped Saint Peter's seven-game losing streak and improved the team to 4-9 overall and 1-2 in the MAAC, while Canisius slipped to 2-11 overall and 0-3 in league play.

Freshman Tomas Vazquez-Simmons (pictured) led all Canisius scorers with 12 points, while senior forward Pawel Malesa posted 11 points in the loss. For the game, the Griffs shot 34.7 percent from the field and 31.6 percent from behind the 3-point arc after hitting on 44.8 percent of their shots in the first half. The Peacocks also took advantage of Canisius' second half turnovers, scoring 19 points off the Griffs' 13 second stanza giveaways.

Canisius took a 33-21 lead into the halftime break after holding the Peacocks without a field goal for 13:19. In the first half, Malesa scored nine points after hitting three 3-pointers, while Frank Turner added seven. But in the second half, Saint Peter's came out on fire, and used a 14-5 run over a span of 6:58 to cut the Griffs' hold to 38-36. Saint Peter's kept the scoring pressure on, and with the game knotted at 38-38, Jon Hogga put the Peacocks up for good with a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 11:31 left in regulation time.

Leon took the game over from there, scoring eight of Saint Peter's next 10 points in a scoring stretch that put the Peacocks up 54-41 with 6:40 to play. In the second half, Saint Peter's shot 44.1 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from behind the arc, while holding Canisius without a bucket for 13:01.

The Griffs will return to action Sunday, Jan. 6, at Rider in Lawrenceville, N.J. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.

Game Notes: The loss ends the Griffs' four-game winning streak over the Peacocks, dating back to 2005-06... Canisius leads the all-time series between the two schools by a 35-23 count... Frank Turner moved past former Griff Aaron Covington for 17th all-time in career assists with 238... Pawel Malesa is averaging 9.5 points per game in four career games against Saint Peter's... Tomas Vazquez-Simmons has now posted double figures in the scoring column in two-straight games.