Men's College Basketball
Rider University 88, Mississippi State University 74
STARKVILLE, MS-Sophomore Novar Gadson (Philadelphia, Pa./John Bartram) compiled 21 points and 11 rebounds and junior Mike Ringgold (Philadelphia, Pa./Roman Catholic) added 21 points to lead Rider to its biggest win in recent history, defeating 18th ranked Mississippi State Friday evening.
"I just thought we were focused all week," said Rider head coach Tommy Dempsey. "We believed we could win the game."
Not many fans at the Humphrey Coliseum believed that at the start, as the Bulldogs jumped out to an 11-2 lead after receiving their championship rings for winning the 2009 SEC Championships.
"We knew they had a lot of talent, but we have a strong-willed group," Dempsey said. "I wasn't afraid to take them on the road into this environment. I actually think the ring ceremony was fuel. To be honest we played harder than they did and that took their crowd out of it."
Rider made 10 of 16 three-point shots and out-rebounded the defending SEC Champs 38-37.
You would have to go back to 1982 to find a win close to being this big for Rider, when the Broncs won 63-56 at the University of South Carolina. The Gamecocks were 22-9 that year. What is considered the biggest win in Rider basketball history, not including championship games, is when Rider upset NYU 66-63 in 1964. NYU was a 30-point favorite and had not lost in its seldom used campus gym in 23 years, winning 57 straight games there before losing to the Roughriders of Rider.
Holding a 59-55 lead, Rider went on an 11-3 run, six points by senior Ryan Thompson (Mt. Laurel, N.J./Lenape) on a pair of three-pointers, to take a 70-58 lead with 9:20 left to play. Thompson finished with 16 points.
A three-point field goal by Gadson gave Rider a 75-63 lead with 6:33 left to play.
The Broncs led 44-42 at the half on 10 points each by Thompson and Ringgold and nine points by Gadson and out-scored MSU 11-4 to start the second half, four points by Ringgold, to take a 55-46 lead with 16:15 left to play.
"We did a good job of taking care of the ball," Dempsey understated, as Rider did not commit a turnover in the second half and had just six in the game. "The guys made good, strong decisions with the ball. For most of the second half we were in control of the game."
Mississippi State led 35-27 before Rider went on a 10-2 run on three-pointers by Thompson and Gadson, to tie the score at 37-37 with 2:02 left to play in the first half, and a three-pointer by junior Justin Robinson (London, England/Blair Academy) gave Rider its first lead, 40-39 with 1:18 left. Robinson finished with 15 points.
Trailing 28-19, Rider went on an 8-2 run, six points on a pair of three-pointers by junior Patrick Mansell (Cheltenham, Pa./Cheltenham), to cut the lead to 30-27 with 5:18 left in the first half.
Trailing 11-2, Rider went on a 9-2 run, four points by Ringgold, to cut the lead to 13-11. "Mike was a killer tonight," Dempsey said. "He was the difference in the game. A lot of guys played well, unselfishly, but the key to the game was Mike Ringgold. He was just an animal on the baseline. He has a will like no kid I have ever coached and it was on display tonight."
6'9" Bulldog forward Jarvis Varnado had 22 points, 14 rebounds and seven blocks. Varnado now has 401 career blocked shots, 11 shy of Shaquille O'Neal's SEC record and 134 shy of the NCAA record.
Rider hosts Lehigh Monday in the home opener at 7pm. "We have to focus on Lehigh right now," Dempsey said. "They scare me, sandwiched between these high-profile teams (Virginia and Kentucky next week). Lehigh is a very good team that we only beat by one point last year. I am assuming the Broncs' Zoo will have a bit of energy in it coming off of this win. We're looking forward to getting home and playing in front of our fans."
With 16 points Thompson now has 1,329 career points, moving up to 14th on the Rider career list.
The season opening win was Rider's first since winning the 2003 opener over Brown. Rider has won 11 of its last 13 home openers and will look to make it 12 of 14 on Monday.
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