LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – Senior Robin Perkins (Willingboro, NJ/Trenton Catholic [Saint Francis Univ.]) hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer as time expired to lead the Rider University women's basketball team past visiting Saint Peter's, 47-46, on Saturday afternoon in MAAC play at Alumni Gymasium. The Broncs (15-6, 9-3 MAAC) completed the season sweep of the Peacocks (3-17, 2-9 MAAC) for the second year in a row.

Trailing by two points with 1.8 seconds left on the clock, Perkins caught an inbounds pass, squared up and fired a contested three from the wing that hit nothing but net for the game-winning basket. It capped a stellar second-half for the senior guard as she scored 16 of her 17 points over the final 20 minutes of action.  

“After we gave up the lead early in the fourth quarter, I had the gut feeling that this game would come down to the final possession,” Rider Head Coach Lynn Milligan said. “1.8 is a long time. We reminded Robin that she had time to square up and take a bounce. I think that helped get her in rhythm. I don't think that was a chuck or a lucky shot. That's a shot that Robin shoots a ton of times a week in practice. When she's in rhythm, she's very confident. I'll take a Robin Perkins rhythm shot any day.”

Perkins hit both of her three-pointers in the second half and she knocked down 5-of-6 from the free-throw line to pace the Rider attack. Classmate Julia Duggan (Marmora, NJ/Ocean City) added nine points and 10 rebounds for the hosts.

Two Saint Peter's players scored in double figures, led by Talah Hughes with 12 points. Hughes also pulled down seven boards for the Peacocks, while Zoe Pero chipped in 10 points on an efficient 4-fo-6 shooting.

Both teams had a hard time getting into rhythm early on, combining for just four points over the first four minutes of play. Rider scored on its first possession of the game as senior guard Taylor Wentzel (Pittsburgh, PA/Baldwin) stole the ball and took it coast-to-coast for a lay-up. The Bronc defense was on point early, forcing three turnovers and limiting the guests to 16 percent shooting (1-6) through five minutes.

Six minutes into the opening frame, Saint Peter's would tie the game at five thanks to a deep three-pointer from Brianna Tarabocchia. After several empty possessions for both squads, Rider senior forward Yeliz Dogan (Izmir, Turkey/Antalya Koleji) knocked down a jumper from the top of the key to give the hosts a 7-5 edge. On the final possession of the first quarter, the Peacocks missed a pair of shots as the Broncs took a two-point lead into the second. Each team shot 16.7 percent in the opening quarter, combining to hit just 5-of-30 from the field.

Saint Peter's started the second quarter on a 4-0 run over the first four minutes to take a 9-7 lead following a jumper from the elbow by Ashlie Howell. Howell's mid-range gave the visitors their first advantage of the day.  Duggan put the Broncs on the board in the frame and tied the game at nine apiece with a nice post move and lay-up with 5:29 left in the first half.

After a lay-up from freshman guard Stella Johnson (Denville, NJ/Morris Catholic) gave Rider an 11-9 edge, the Peacocks went on a 9-0 run capped by a fastbreak lay-up from Hughes to give Saint Peter's an 18-11 advantage. Duggan ended the run with an old-fashioned three-point play to cut the deficit to four at 18-14 with less than a minute left. The guests would close the scoring in the half with a free throw to take a five-point lead at 19-14 into halftime. In the first half, Duggan hit 3-of-7 shots, while the rests of the Broncs shot 3-of-25 from the field.  

Trailing 21-16 early in the third, Rider reeled off five unanswered points thanks to a Johnson lay-up in transition and a three from the top of the key by Perkins. The Perkins trey was the first of the game for the Broncs as the hosts missed their first 10 attempts from deep. A pair of Perkins free throws with 5:22 left in the third gave Rider its first lead since midway through the second quarter at 26-25.

Back-and-forth the two teams would go trading baskets as neither team would lead by more than one possession until a Duggan lay-up off a feed from Wentzel gave the Broncs a 34-29 edge with 90 seconds left in the quarter. After a Peacock free throw, Bronc junior forward Kamila Hoskova (Brno, Czech Republic/Sportovni Gymnazium Ludvika Danka) grabbed an offensive rebound and converted a three-point play to give the Broncs a 37-30 advantage heading into the fourth.

Rider had more field goals in the third (7) then in the first and second quarters combined (6). Perkins turned it on in third, scoring 13 points as Rider outscored Saint Peter's, 23-11, in the quarter.

The Peacocks opened the fourth quarter on a 4-0 run over the first two minutes to cut the deficit to just one possession at 37-34. With a little over six minutes left in regulation, the guests pulled to within one at 38-37 thanks to long three-pointer by Alyssa Velles.

Clinging to a one-point lead at 42-41 with under a minute left in the game, Dogan grabbed an offensive rebound to prolong the Rider possession. A pair of Wentzel free throws with 50 seconds on the clock gave the Broncs a 44-41 lead. On the ensuing possession,  Velles connected on a three from the top of the key to knot the game at 44.

After an empty Peacock possession, Johnson grabbed a defensive rebound and Rider took a 30-second timeout. The Broncs would turn the ball over and with 1.8 seconds left on the clock Janelle Mullen was fouled. She would knock down both free throws to put Saint Peter's up, 46-44.

The Broncs called a timeout to advance the ball and Perkins delivered the heroics with the game-winner from the corner.

For the game, Rider outrebounded Saint Peter's, 49-43. The hosts had 10 assists on 16 made field goals and hit 12-of-14 from the free-throw line. The Broncs shots just 24 percent from the field (16-67), while Saint Peter's hit 33 percent of its shots (17-52).

The Broncs return to action on Thursday, February 2, with a road conference showdown against in-state rival Monmouth that is slated to begin at 7:00 pm.