Men's College Basketball
Niagara University 84, Rider University 70
NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, NY?The Broncs lost a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference game at Niagara Saturday afternoon. The loss was Rider's third in the last four games. “We played really hard, and that was something I needed to see,” said Rider head coach Tommy Dempsey. “After a tough loss on Thursday it was important that we bounce back and play hard today. I don't question our effort at all, we just didn't play well enough to get it done.”
Holding a 68-66 lead with 3:55 left to play, Niagara (14-5, 5-2 MAAC) out-scored Rider 7-0, four points by Anthony Nelson, to take a 75-66 lead with 2:15 remaining. Nelson finished with 10 points.
Trailing 57-44 mid-way through the second half, Rider (9-8, 4-3 MAAC) went on an 18-7 run, eight points by junior Ryan Thompson (Mt. Laurel, N.J./Lenape), to cut the lead to 64-62 with 5:35 left to play. “It looked like we were dead in the water and the next thing you know it was back to two points,” Dempsey said.
Thompson made two foul shots to cut the lead to 68-66, but that was as close as the Broncs could get. Thompson finished with 20 points, 14 in the second half, along with five rebounds.
Rider made more field goals (26-25) but Niagara out-scored Rider from the foul line 26-12. “For whatever reason we couldn't get to the foul line as much as we normally do,” Dempsey said.
Niagara out-rebounded Rider 42-31. “We got beat up on the glass a little bit,” Dempsey said.
Niagara made 13 of 15 fouls in the final 5:20 to preserve the victory. “Give them credit, they made their foul shots down the stretch,” Dempsey said. “You have to make free throws when you are ahead late in the game to put a team away and they did that.”
Five Broncs scored in double figures, as senior Harris Mansell (Cheltenham, Pa./Cheltenham) scored 16, sophomore Mike Ringgold (Philadelphia, Pa./Roman Catholic) added 12 points, while sophomore Justin Robinson (London, England/Blair Academy) and freshman Novar Gadson (Philadelphia, Pa./John Bartram) each scored 10 points. Gadson also had a team-high six rebounds.
Rider led 42-38 before Niagara went on a 19-2 run, five points by Nelson, to take a 57-44 lead with 10:37 left to play.
Trailing 31-23, Rider out-scored Niagara 10-5 over the final 5:00 of the first half, four points by Thompson, to cut the lead to 36-33 at intermission, and the Broncs scored the first four points of the second half to take their first lead of the game, 37-36.
Niagara jumped out to a 10-2 lead and led 15-4, six points by 6'10” senior Benson Egemonye, after seven minutes of play. “He's so big and strong,” Dempsey said. “When he gets the ball in the lane a lot of the times we had no choice but to foul him.”
Egemonye finished with 20 points, making 10 of 15 foul shots, and eight rebounds. Niagara junior guard Tyrone Lewis of Levittown, PA added 15 points, while Bilal Benn compiled 15 points and 10 rebounds.
The last time Rider won here in the Gallagher Center was during the 2001-02 season. Niagara has now won 15 of its last 18 home games.
The Broncs travel to Fairfield Connecticut Friday, January 23 to take on the Stags in their campus gym, Alumni Hall. “This was a tough trip for us,” Dempsey said. “Now we have to get back in the gym and start working on some of the things we aren't good at. We have to defend better if we are going to have a chance.”
The last time Rider played in Alumni Hall was during the 2000-2001 season, with the Broncs winning 64-60. For the last seven year Fairfield has been playing its home games in the Arena at Harbor Yards in Bridgeport. “We know that will be a real challenging game,” Dempsey said.
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