Women's College Basketball
Saint Peter's College 69, Rider University 59
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Game
LAWRENCEVILLE?Despite 15 points from junior Amanda Sepulveda (Perth Amboy/Hun) and 13 points from junior Tammy Meyers (Willingboro), the Rider University women's basketball team lost a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference game to Saint Peter's Saturday afternoon.
“We have to continue to get better on a daily basis and find our consistency level,” said head coach Lynn Milligan. “We had some foul trouble and some injuries but we have to adapt better with our combinations when things don't go as planned. The foul trouble really hurt our flow on offense and Saint Peter's was able to get some mismatches on the defensive end.”
Trailing 48-35 with 15:18 left in the game, Rider (9-18, 6-10 MAAC) went on a 10-0 run, five points by Meyers to cut the Peahen lead to three at the 10:49 mark but that was as close as the Broncs would get as Saint Peter's responded with a 9-0 run to take a 12 point lead with 7:14 left. “We had a nice little run,” Milligan said. “We got out-toughed on the boards and that is something we will continue to work on.”
Saint Peter's led 41-29 before the Broncs went on a 6-0 run, two points each by Meyers, sophomore Cintella Spotwood (Trenton/Trenton Central) and junior Stephanie Wisniewski (Levittown, Pa./Villa Joseph Marie) cutting the Peahen lead to six with 17:35 left in the second half.
Spotwood had seven points, six rebounds and three blocks with Wisniewski adding six points and four rebounds.
With the score 41-36 in favor of Saint Peter's (12-13, 9-7 MAAC), the Peahens went on a 7-0 run, opening up their biggest lead of the game at 13 points with 15:18 remaining.
“We needed to do a little better job of some of our decision making,” Milligan said. “Our defensive effort was ok and we held Saint Peter's to 37 percent shooting. We didn't take full advantage of that one by fouling and two on some of our decisions passing the ball on the offensive end.”
The first half was a back and forth battle with the lead changing hands nine times. Tied at 13, an 8-2 run by the Broncs gave Rider its biggest lead of the game, 21-15 at the 10:05 mark before Saint Peter's responded by scoring 24 of the next 32 points to end the half up 10 at 39-29.
Also for the Broncs, senior Shaunice Parker (Waldorf, Md./West Lake), playing in her final game in Alumni Gym had a team-high nine rebounds.
The Peahens out-rebounded Rider 48-41. “We obviously didn't do a very good job on the boards and gave Saint Peter's some easy baskets,” Milligan said. “Our foul trouble also hurt us today.”
This was the 44th meeting between the teams with the Peahens having won 37 times. Saint Peter's has defeated Rider nine straight times including a 74-63 win in Jersey City, New Jersey on February 8.
Saint Peter's has won six straight.
The game was Pink Zone Day as Rider and Saint Peter's joined over 1,200 colleges and universities across the nation to raise donations and awareness for the fight against breast cancer through the Kay Yow and Jimmy V Foundations.
The game was also senior day with Parker, Danielle Costantino (Norristown, Pa./Archbishop Carroll) and Maura Gillooly (Fanwood/Scotch Plains-Fanwood) honored prior to the game.
Costantino had six points and three rebounds with Gillooly picking up a blocked shot in five minutes of play. “Those three young ladies have done everything we have asked them to do,” said Milligan. “They work to the best of their abilities each and every day. The three of them can be really proud of what they have accomplished at Rider.”
Rider travels to Fairfield for a MAAC game on Monday night.
“We have the confidence to compete against Fairfield,” Milligan said about her team's two-point loss on February 6th to the Stags. “They are in second place and are a very good club. We will have to do a better job defensively and on the offensive boards than we did today. Actually with Fairfield and Marist coming at this time of year, right before the tournament, it will be a good test against the first and second place conference teams to see where we are. When you play the two best teams, you will certainly learn a lot from that.”
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