Women's College Basketball
Canisius College 64, Rider University 55
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Game
LAWRENCEVILLE?Despite 20 points and seven rebounds from senior Janele Henderson (Brooklyn, N.Y./Bishop Loughlin), the Broncs lost to Canisius in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference opener for both squads Friday night in Alumni Gym. “Canisius forced us to take some shots that we are not used to taking,” said head coach Lynn Milligan. “Our overall defensive effort was solid but we had a few breakdowns late and you are not going to win many games shooting under 28 percent.”
Down by 16 points with 18 minutes remaining in the game, Rider (3-5, 0-1 MAAC) went on a 12-4 run, five points each by Henderson and sophomore Amanda Sepulveda (Perth Amboy/Hun School) to get within seven (37-30) with 12 minutes remaining. Sepulveda finished with 16 points playing a career-high 37 minutes.
The Broncs cut the Golden Griffin lead to four at 41-37 on a Henderson three-pointer with 8:46 left but that was as close as Rider would get. Henderson had three three-pointers in the game for her fourth 20 or more point effort of the season.
Sophomore guard Brittane Russell hit the next eight points for Canisius (4-3, 1-0 MAAC), including back to back three-pointers to put the Golden Griffins up by nine with 4:25 left. “Russell just broke our back with those three point baskets,” Milligan said. “We came all the way back and then she stepped up and hit some big shots for them.”
“We started off slow,” said Henderson. “We need to play better to open games and pick it up because we are now in conference play.”
After Rider cut the lead to five with 1:45 left, Russell made her third and final three of the game and the Golden Griffins went eight for eight from the free throw line in the final minute to put the game away, including four foul shots by Russell. Russell led Canisius with 19 points, making six for six from the charity stripe.
The Broncs shot five of 33 in the first half (15 percent) and were held under 28 percent for the game. “I've never seem a half like that in my years of coaching,” Milligan said. “We were getting shots and we just weren't connecting. You have to just keep running the offense and keep looking for open shots.” After making its first field goal attempt of the game, Rider made only one more of its next 21 shots and were 2 for 22 at the eight minute mark of the first half.
“Canisius did a great job on the defensive end,” Milligan added. “Every shot that we were able to take, we had to work for, using almost all of the shot clock and that took a lot out of us. Nothing was easy for us tonight on the offensive end and Canisius had a lot to do with that.”
Rider attempted 30 from beyond the arc making nine two-pointers and nine three-pointers for the night.
“Every look, every shot that we got, we had to work for,” said Henderson. “The easiest shots came early in the first half and they just didn't go down. We had good looks and just didn't put them in. The second half, we worked harder. A shooting night like this is going to happen from time to time but coach is right that our strong defensive effort was going to get us back into the game and it did. We just ran out of time to come back.”
Also for the Broncs, junior Shaunice Parker (Waldorf, Md./West Lake) had 12 rebounds (five offensive) to move into a tie for 19th place on the all-time rebound list at Rider with Robin Stein who had 384 boards from 1999-2002. The Broncs held a 17-9 advantage on the offensive glass however were out-rebounded by the Golden Griffins 40-37 in the game. Sophomore Ashley Anderson (East Orange) added six rebounds, three on the offensive glass in 22 minutes for Rider.
Rider jumped out to a 3-0 lead and then saw the Golden Griffins go on an 11-0 run to lead by eight with 13:42 left in the first half. Rider was held without a two-point field goal until the 3:47 mark of the first half and the Broncs trailed 29-16 at the half.
“We got shots in the first half and just didn't make them,” Milligan said. “Our defensive effort in the first half was good, we wanted to hold Canisius to 27 and we held them to 29 so I was pleased with the effort. The shots just weren't falling and we dug ourselves a hole that we couldn't get out of.”
Overall, Canisius has defeated Rider 15 times in a row and leads the series 19-5.
The Golden Griffins made six three-pointers in the game and have a three-point field goal in 397 straight games, the longest current active women's NCAA Division I streak in the country.
Canisius broke a two-game losing streak and the Broncs have now lost three straight. “The mind set of the team is good,” Milligan said. “We'll come back fighting on Sunday against Niagara.”
Rider hosts the Purple Eagles in a MAAC game Sunday afternoon at 2:00pm in Alumni Gym on the Lawrenceville campus. “Niagara is similar to Canisius,” Milligan added. “The new head coach at Niagara is a former Canisius assistant so they do a lot of the same things. The game plan will be similar, for us to play strong defense and find a way to score.”
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