Men's College Basketball
North Carolina State University 72, Rider University 63
ORLANDO, FLORIDA?Despite holding the lead for 25 of the 40 minutes, Rider lost to North Carolina State in the first round of the Old Spice Classic, held at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex. “It was a hard-fought game,” said Rider head coach Tommy Dempsey. “We were able to play Rider basketball against them.”
Senior Jason Thompson (Mt. Laurel/Lenape) led all scorers with 24 points and also collected a game-high 15 rebounds. “Jason's numbers were good and he played hard,” Dempsey said. “He competed extremely hard. They had some big, physical bodies in there and he banged and rebounded and did all of the things we needed him to do to give us a chance to win.”
NC State was 0 for 7 from three-point land in the first half, but made five of six three-pointers in the second half. “NC State's ability to step up in the second half to make some threes was the difference in the game,” Dempsey said. “We were doing a lot of changing defenses, mixing in man and zone. When they made those threes that took our zone away from us. That was the difference.”
NC State (2-1) led 11-9 before Rider (2-2) went on a 7-0 run, four points by J. Thompson, to take a 16-11 lead nine minutes into the game. “As a team we came out with a lot of energy and passion,” J. Thompson said. “Being a mid-major team playing an ACC team, we didn't want to give them too much confidence early on, and we were able to get off to a good start.”
Junior Lamar Johnson (Scranton, PA/Scranton) made a three-point field goal to give Rider a 26-17 lead with 4:16 left in the first half, and the Broncs led 31-28 at the half.
Rider led 43-38 with 15 minutes left to play before the Wolfpack went on a 17-3 run to take a 55-46 lead with 8:34 remaining. That was the fifth and final lead change of the game. “We had them on the ropes for a while,” J. Thompson said. “If a few of those threes they made didn't fall, who knows?”
Freshman Justin Robinson (London, England/Blair Academy) added 13 points and three assists for Rider, while sophomore Ryan Thompson (Mt. Laurel/Lenape) added seven points, 10 rebounds and a team-high five assists in 32 minutes of action before fouling out.
NC State was 23-33 from the foul line, while Rider was 5-8.
Courtney Fells led NC State with 18 points, as four members of the Wolfpack scored in double figures.
NC State was ranked 21st in the nation before being upset by New Orleans last week.
Junior Harris Mansell (Cheltenham, PA/Cheltenham) added nine points and three rebounds for Rider.
The ?double-double' was Thompson's second of the season and the 32nd of his career. Thompson now has 1,426 career points, ninth highest ever at Rider, and his 810 rebounds is now third highest at Rider. Thompson is the only player to rank among the top 10 in scoring AND the top five in rebounding in Rider history.
Rider will now play Penn State Friday morning at 10:30. Penn State lost to South Carolina 74-67. The Broncs are off Saturday and will play again Sunday in the final game of the Classic, hosted by the MAAC. Rider returns home to host NJIT Wednesday, November 28.
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