Men's College Basketball
Rider University 76, Texas Christian University 61
SPRINGFIELD, MASS- The horned frog is a voracious eater that will attempt to swallow anything that moves close to its wide mouth, even if it would suffocate in the process.
The TCU Horned Frogs bit off more than they could chew Saturday afternoon, surrendering an eight-point second half lead to the Broncs.
Senior Justin Robinson (London, England/Blair Academy) scored a game-high 18 points to lead Rider to victory over TCU in the Hall of Fame Tip Off Tournament.
"Everyone is chipping in, doing the scoring," said Robinson, who now has 1,040 career points, 28th most ever at Rider. "For us to be good we need everyone to contribute, and that is what is happening now."
"I'm just happy to be able to win against a very good opponent," said Rider head coach Tommy Dempsey. "I have a lot of respect for TCU. It was a really hard fought game."
Rider (3-1) trailed 36-28 early in the second half before going on a 9-0 run to take its first lead of the game, 37-36, with 16:37 left to play. "This year we're focusing on the start of each half," Dempsey said. "Last year I felt we were slow starters. We wanted to make sure we came out strong to start the second half today."
TCU (2-1) led 40-39 before the Broncs out-scored the Horned Frogs 25-6, seven points by senior Jhamar Youngblood (Elizabeth, N.J./St. Patrick's), to take a commanding 64-46 lead with 9:32 left to play.
Youngblood finished with nine points and eight rebounds off the bench.
Junior Novar Gadson (Philadelphia, Pa./John Bartram) compiled 15 points and five rebounds for the Broncs. "Novar is a very good shooter," Dempsey said. "We have a lot of good shooters."
"During the summer I was working on taking good shots," Gadson said. "If I take good shots within the offense I know I can make them. If I'm in the right place at the right time Justin will find me."
Robinson had three of Rider's 14 assists. Freshman Anthony Myles (Dover, DE/Poly-Tech) led Rider with four assists, along with six points, a career-high three blocks, and two steals off the bench.
Senior Mike Ringgold (Philadelphia, Pa./Roman Catholic) added 12 points and eight rebounds off the bench.
Rider's bench out-scored TCU's bench 30-18. "Our bench looks strong," Dempsey said. "We have a good mix and the bench has been the difference so far this year."
Nine of the 11 Broncs who played scored. "Everything is balanced," Gadson said. "That helps a lot, but we always have great chemistry on this team, on and off the court. We're always together and we like being together."
Rider shot 72 percent (18 for 25) from the field in the second half and shot 57 percent for the game. "I didn't realize we were shooting that good but I knew we made a lot of shots in the second half," Dempsey said. "Our defense in the second half got our offense going. We cut a lot better in the second half and were able to get into a good rhythm in the second half. Shot selection is key for us. We have so many guys who can shoot the ball well. If we take good shots we're going to make them. The second half was more Rider basketball. We got clicking."
TCU jumped out to a 13-6 lead in the first 8:06 of the game. "TCU is very good," Dempsey said. "We were not in rhythm in the first half because of TCU. They are a good, strong defensive team. They banged our cutters and banged us on the glass."
TCU out-rebounded Rider 19-15 in the first half.
"It took us a little while to adjust," Dempsey said. "I thought they played harder than us in the first half."
TCU led 20-14 before Rider went on a 10-5 run, five points by Gadson, to cut the lead 25-24, and TCU led 34-28 at the half.
Rider out-rebounded TCU 35-32 for the game.
With the win the Broncs have now won three in a row, including a 20-point win over Southern Cal on Wednesday. "We're playing well right now," Dempsey understated. "It gives us high spirits," Robinson said in his thick, British accent. "Obviously when you are winning, everything seems like it is going well. We just have to keep it up."
Rider stays in Springfield to take on the Loyola Marymount Lions Sunday at 12 noon. LMU defeated Dowling 78-71 Saturday to improve to 2-2. "Loyola Marymount is a quality opponent," Dempsey said. "They had a great year last year (18-16) and are very well respected. They are picked high this year in a good conference, just behind (nationally ranked) Gonzaga and (NCAA qualifier) Saint Mary's, so they have a lot of talent. We expect them to come out and play well Sunday. They've won some big games the last few years. It will be another good test for us. We're excited to play them and I know our guys will be ready."
The lion has an even larger mouth than the horned frog. Putting your head in it is dangerous, but something performed often over the years. Rider will do so Sunday at high noon.
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