Saint Peter's coach Shaheen Holloway says he wishes he could re-play Elite 8 game as Cinderella run ends

• Saint Peter's Cinderella run in the NCAA Tournament ended with a 20-point loss to UNC.
• Head coach Shaheen Holloway said he wished he could have a "re-do," saying he thought Saint Peter's would win a do-over.

PHILADELPHIA — As Saint Peter's University's thrilling Cinderella run in the NCAA Tournament came to a crashing halt on Sunday, head coach Shaheen Holloway found himself wanting a re-do.

The Peacocks, the first 15-seed to ever reach the Elite Eight, were dutifully dispatched, 69-49, by a North Carolina team that never appeared overwhelmed by the hype surrounding their opponents, the tournament darlings.

Through their three March Madness wins, the Peacocks relied on a feisty, scrappy defense and timely scoring.

In a win over Purdue in the Sweet 16, the Peacocks' offense struggled at times to kick into gear. It faltered for long stretches against North Carolina, who capitalized from the tip-off. The Tar Heels took a 9-0 lead to start the game and never looked back, at one point going up 27 points in the first half.

"I didn't really recognize my team the first 10 minutes of the game," Holloway told reporters after. "I thought we came out a little slow, a little timid. Give [UNC] credit: They came in and jumped on us early."

Holloway admitted he thought St. Peter's could have won the game.

"It's a very emotional time after a loss, a tough loss. I really thought we were going to win this game. I'll be honest with you. No disrespect to them. I just thought we could match up with them pretty good."

He added: "Kind of wish we could play this game over. I would have done a couple things different."

Such is life for Cinderella teams: For all of the thrills they deliver in upsets, their runs often end with a thud.

Few teams in the tournament will pity the Peacocks, however, who knocked off teams seeded No. 2, No. 7, and No. 3, shocking observers and sending teams with higher aspirations home early.

On Friday, Saint Peter's fan support dominated Purdue's at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. It was the Boilermakers who looked uneasy against Saint Peter's swarming tangle of arms.

On Sunday, with just one day's rest, the Peacocks looked as if their run had taken its toll on them, as players looked a step slow on both ends of the court. Holloway said three bad offensive possessions to begin the game changed the momentum.

"We came out, we took three bad shots right away," Holloway said. "Three terrible shots. And it got [UNC] run-outs. They got three easy baskets. That's how the game goes.

"When you take bad shots — especially shots that I didn't know that one of the guys was going to take, right — and the next thing we know, it's 6-zip, 9-2. Those are momentum swings."

A run few could have seen coming now ends with a big question: whether Holloway will be courted by other schools, namely Seton Hall, his alma mater. Holloway shot down a question about his future.

"I'm not worried about that right now," Holloway said. "I'm worried about those 15 young men whose hearts are broken and really down. It's my job as their leader to cheer them up, make sure they understand what they did the last two weeks."