Women's College Basketball
Siena College 57, Rider University 43
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Game
LOUDONVILLE, N.Y.--Senior Amanda Sepulveda (Perth Amboy/Hun) had 18 points as the Rider University women's basketball team lost at Siena 57-43 in a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference game Sunday afternoon.
“We say this all the time, we are not what our record is,” said head coach Lynn Milligan. “The reality of the situation is you are what you are. Every day, we are better than what we are showing. We out-rebound our opponent AGAIN, pull down 20 offensive rebounds AGAIN, hold the opposition under 60 AGAIN and took care of the ball. We shot 27 percent and that's not good enough.”
Trailing by 29-19, Rider (2-17, 0-8 MAAC) held Siena without a point for five minutes with Sepulveda making three free throws and freshman Carleigh Brown (Philadelphia, Pa./Nazareth Academy) making a layup (5-0 run) forcing a Saint timeout with 16:10 left and the score 29-24. C. Brown finished with four points, four rebounds and two steals in 24 minutes.
“The results are not for a lack of effort,” Milligan added.
Siena responded with a 7-2 run making the score 36-26 with 11:00 left.
Three field goals from three-point range by the Saints sparked Siena to a 50-33 lead with 4:54 left before Sepulveda drained her fifth three-pointer of the game.
Sepulveda now has 998 points and looks to become the 18th Bronc to hit the 1,000 plateau on Friday night as Rider hosts Iona January 29 in a MAAC game at 7pm in Alumni Gym.
Sepulveda gave Rider an early 3-0 lead at the 17:50 mark before Siena overcame a 7-4 deficit with a 9-0 run, taking a 13-7 lead nine minutes into the game.
Sepulveda hit her second three-pointer of the half cutting the Siena lead to three (13-10), breaking a 5:02 scoreless streak by Rider.
Leading 15-12, Siena used a 7-2 run to open up an eight point lead seven minutes before the half and extended the Rider deficit to 11 with a 12-4 run with 3:30 left in the opening period.
Sepulveda hit her third three-pointer with 17 seconds left in the half cutting the Saint lead to 29-19 at intermission.
Also for the Broncs, sophomore Sarah Homan (Upper Darby, Pa./Delco Christian) had seven points and seven rebounds, five on the offensive glass with senior Stephanie Wisniewski (Levittown, Pa./Villa Joseph Marie) adding seven points and six rebounds, four on the offensive end. Rider out-rebounded Siena 40-35 and the Broncs had 20 offensive rebounds in the game.
Rider freshman Caitlin Bopp (Baltimore, Md./Institute of Notre Dame) was held to four points and seven rebounds in 18 minutes after missing most of the second half with a back injury. Bopp, a four-time MAAC Rookie of the Week honoree, came into play third in the nation among rookie rebounders and 26th overall.
“Caitlin got hit on a screen,” Milligan said. “She may have been having some back spasms, it was kind of a whiplash effect but you know she was hurting if she didn't come back into the game.”
Siena held Rider to 27 percent (17-62) from the field.
“I am happy with the defensive effort,” said Milligan. “Offensively we just have to put the ball in the basket more. We're turning the ball over less and I like the looks that we are getting and now we have to make the shots. We need to step up and put the ball in the basket.”
Rider entered play averaging over 22 turnovers a game and has just 11 against Siena.
Siena (7-10, 5-3 MAAC) has won 23 of the 27 games all-time against Rider including the last four in a row. The Saints defeated the Broncs twice last season with the teams splitting two overtime games in 2007-08.
The Saints have won two in a row and Rider has lost 10 straight.
The teams meet again in Lawrenceville at Alumni Gymnasium on February 26 in a 4:30pm game televised on ESPNU.
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