2017-18 Rider University Women's Basketball
GAME 21: Saturday, January 27, 2018
Rider Broncs (8-12, 5-4 MAAC) vs. Fairfield Stags (7-12, 4-4 MAAC)
Location: Lawrenceville, NJ – Alumni Gymnasium (1,650)
Tip: 2:00 pm
Live Video: BroncVision
Live Stats: SideArmStats
Twitter: @RiderWBB & @RiderAthletics
Tickets: GoBroncsTix.com
Listen: 107.7 The Bronc
Notes: Fairfield

What You Need to Know
- Rider starts a two-game home stand on Saturday, January 27 against Fairfield. In total, the Broncs will play four of their next five games in front of their home crowd. Inside Alumni Gymnasium this year, the Broncs are 3-5. Rider has won their last two MAAC home games after dropping their first two of the year.  

- The Stags enter the weekend with a 7-12 overall record and a 4-4 mark in MAAC play after dropping back-to-back conference games. Fairfield has lost four of their last five league contests, starting with a setback against the Broncs on January 10, after opening the year 3-0 in MAAC action. Fairfield has had the same starting five in all 19 of their games this season. It's a three-headed attack for the Stags with Samantha Cooper, Khadidiatou Diouf and Sam Kramer all averaging more than nine points per tilt. Cooper leads the team in both points per game (14.0) and rebounds per game (10.4). She is the only player in the MAAC this season that is averaging a double-double. Cooper is tops in the MAAC in rebounding and she ranks third in minutes played per game (35.1). Diouf is scoring more than 10 points per contest and grabbing almost seven boards per tilt, while shooting over 40 percent from the field and Kramer is pouring in better than nine points per game this year. Kendra Landy ranks fourth in the league in assists per game with nearly four dimes per tilt and Casey Foley is second in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.9). As a team, the Stags rank in the top-three in the league in three different statistical categories this year. Fairfield is second in the MAAC in both scoring defense and turnover margin. The team allows opponents to score just over 62 points per game and has a +1.11 turnover margin. The team is also third in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.00.

- Rider snapped an eight-game, regular-season losing streak to Fairfield with a 61-45 triumph inside Alumni Hall on January 10. Sophomore guard Stella Johnson poured in a game-high 19 points, while senior Kamila Hoskova recorded her second double-double of the season thanks to a 12-point, 10-rebound performance to guide the Broncs. Rider closed the third quarter on a 12-2 run to build a double-digit lead they would not relinquish.

- Last time out, Rider erased a 12-point, first-quarter deficit to rally past Iona, 62-49. The Broncs outscored the Gaels, 43-13, in the second and third quarters to snap a two-game road losing streak. Stella Johnson finished one rebound shy of a double-double thanks to a 16-point, nine-rebound performance to lead Rider to the win. Joining Stella in double figures were Hoskova and freshman Jaiden Morris. Both Hoskova and Morris poured in 13 points apiece on an identical 5-of-9 shooting from the field.

- This season, Rider is 7-0 when holding opponents to under 60 points. The Broncs are also 8-2 (5-1 in MAAC play) in 2017-18 when they shoot a higher percentage than their opponents. The Broncs have forced at least 17 turnovers in a game 12 times this season. Rider has a +1.05 turnover ratio this year which ranks third in the MAAC. 

- This season, Rider is 8-3 and 5-1 in conference play when leading at halftime.  Their first loss when leading at the break in MAAC play came at Marist on January 21. The Broncs have won six of their last seven games when holding a halftime lead.

- Versus Niagara, Rider shot a season-best 93.8% (15-of-16) from the free-throw line. It marked the second time this year that the Broncs hit more than 90 percent of their free throws after hitting 20-of-22 (90.9%) at NJIT on December 16.The tilt versus the Highlanders marked the third time this season that the Broncs had hit 20 or more free throws in a game. Against Iona on Thursday, the team knocked down 15-of-18 (83.3%) from the foul line. Rider is 5-3 in 2017-18 when hitting better than 77 percent of their free-throw attempts in a game. On the year, the team has hit 74.2 percent (270-364) of their free throws, which ranks second in the MAAC.

- Stella Johnson had another balanced game for the Broncs against Iona. She scored 16 points on 7-of-14 shooting to go along with nine rebounds, five assists, three steals and one block. This year, she leads the team in points (295), points per game (14.8), field-goal percentage (46.7%), three-point field-goal percentage (36.2%), steals (49) and steals per game (2.5). She is tied for tops on the team in blocks with 15. Stella is second on the squad, assists (57), assists per game (2.9), rebounds (111) and rebounds per game (5.6).  

- Stella Johnson has been stellar in conference play this season. She is averaging over 16 points, six rebounds and more than two steals per game against MAAC opponents. She is also knocking down better than 48 percent (60-of-124) of her shots from the field over the last nine games. Lexi Posset has also turned it on during league play, averaging over 13 points and three assists per tilt. Posset is also shooting 42.1 percent (16-of-38) from three-point range over her last nine games.

- A pair of Broncs rank in the top-five in statistical categories in the MAAC this season. Kamila Hoskova is third in free-throw percentage (82.1%) and first in minutes played per game (35.4). Stella Johnson is second in steals (49), second in steals per game (2.5), fourth in points per game (14.8) and third in field-goal percentage (46.7%).