Men's College Basketball
Rider University 77, Loyola College 75
BALTIMORE, MD? Junior Ryan Thompson (Mt. Laurel, N.J./Lenape) scored a lay-up at the buzzer to give Rider a come-from-behind Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference victory at Loyola Thursday night. Thompson finished with 19 points, four rebounds and three assists. “Just a gutsy win,” said Rider head coach Tommy Dempsey.
“When I looked up the clock said 1.9 so I knew I had one more step to take before I had to get it off,” Thompson said.
Loyola (11-19, 6-11 MAAC) sophomore guard Brian Rudolph scored with 1:25 remaining to tie the score at 75-75. Rudolph finished with 19 points.
Trailing 55-42, Rider out-scored Loyola 16-2, eight points by sophomore Justin Robinson (London, England/Blair Academy) and six points by freshman Novar Gadson (Philadelphia, Pa./John Bartram), to take a 58-57 lead with 9:40 left to play. Robinson finished with 15 points. Gadson, who did not play the first half to due disciplinary reasons, finished with 12 points and five rebounds in 13 minutes of action, making five of six field goal attempts.
“Novar gave us a great second half,” Dempsey said.
“I was really up for this game,” said Gadson, the five-time MAAC Rookie of the Week. “I made a stupid mistake and was suspended for it, so I wanted to come in and play well. I knew if I could play well we would win.”
Rider senior Harris Mansell (Cheltenham, Pa./Cheltenham) made a three-point field goal with 2:50 left to tie the score at 73-73. Mansell finished with 10 points.
With the victory, Rider (17-11, 11-6 MAAC) has clinched at least the third seed in the 10-team MAAC Championship tournament with an outside chance at second place (if Niagara losses to Siena and Marist and Rider defeats Fairfield).
Rider jumped out to a 12-7 lead on four three-pointers before Loyola went on a 25-5 run, eight points by Marquis Sullivan, to take at 32-17 lead with 7:59 left in the first half. Loyola led 47-34 at the half. Sullivan finished with 17 points. “I don't think we played poorly in the first half but when we were down 13 at the half it was like everything they threw up went in,” Dempsey said.
Loyola shot 51.6 percent (16-31) in the first half, but 44.4 percent (28-63) for the game.
Rider sophomore Mike Ringgold (Philadelphia, Pa./Roman Catholic) added 12 points and eight rebounds.
The victory was Rider's third in a row and sixth in the last seven games. The loss was Loyola's seventh straight after winning six straight.
Rider went 5-4 in MAAC away games this year.
Providence College transfer, Jamal Barney, who is averaging a MAAC-high 19.1 points and a team-high 5.6 rebounds per game, was held to four points and two rebounds in 22 minutes of action.
Mansell now has 1,275 career points, 17th most ever at Rider. Thompson now has 1,227 career points, 18th most ever at Rider.
Loyola won the last two meetings with Rider, January 30, 2009 at Rider (75-61) and February 18, 2008 here in Baltimore (73-68), and six of the last seven before Thursday. The two teams have now met 33 times since the series began in 1931-32, with Rider winning 20. Since Rider joined the MAAC the Broncs are 15-10 against the Greyhounds.
Rider has now compiled 56 wins over the last three seasons, the most over a three-year period since compiling a best-ever 58 wins in the mid-1990s (?94, '95, '96).
Rider completes the regular season Sunday with a 2pm home game against Fairfield televised on the Madison Square Garden Network. Rider's graduating seniors will be honored in a pregame ceremony.
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