Women's College Basketball
University of Pennsylvania 60, Rider University 45
LAWRENCEVILLE-The Broncs lost to Penn Tuesday night.
Sophomore Shereen Lightbourne (Elmsford, N.Y./Hamilton) led the Broncs with 12 points. Meghan McCullough led the Quakers with 17 points.
"Shereen is capable of doing that," said head coach Lynn Milligan. "She had the flu last game and didn't play, came back this game and played hard, got some good shots and good looks at the basket."
Trailing 48-33, Rider (0-4) went on a 10-4 run, three points by junior Ali Heller (Boca Raton, Fla./St. Andrews), to cut the lead to 52-43 with 2:27 remaining, but that was as close as the Broncs could get. Heller, who entered the game as Rider's leading scorer at 10 ppg., finished with six points.
Holding a 40-29 lead, Penn (2-1) out-scored Rider 7-1 to take a 47-30 lead with 8:40 remaining.
Penn went on an 8-0 run to take a 32-14 lead and the Quakers led 34-20 at the half.
Penn went on a 13-2 run, six points by Alyssa Baron, to take a 24-11 lead with 8:35 left in the first half. Baron finished with 15 points.
Trailing 9-2, Rider out-scored Penn 7-2, all seven points by Lightbourne, to cut the lead to 11-9 6:30 into the game.
Penn jumped out to a 9-2 lead, six points by Caroline Nicholson. Nicholson finished with eight points.
Rider made just 11 of 24 foul shots (45.8 percent) and 15 of 54 field goal attempts (27.8 percent).
"They did a nice job with their sagging defense," Milligan said about the Quakers. "We have to find better ways to score. We are missing free throws and we are not getting good shots. We were more aggressive tonight as far as going to the basket but now we have to put it in the bucket."
Penn out-rebounded the Broncs 47-31. Rider sophomore Caitlin Bopp (Baltimore, Md./Inst. of Notre Dame) grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds and had a career-high four steals and three blocks.
"To me rebounding is heart, desire, and effort," said Milligan. "It has nothing to do with skill level or size none of that and we definitely got out worked on the boards very badly tonight."
Rider had won the last two meetings in the series, including a 66-53 win at the Palestra on December 12, 2009. The Quakers now hold a 7-3 series lead that began in 1982-83.
"Every time you lose is frustrating, but this is a resilient group and they work hard," said Milligan. "They have to have a little taste of success sooner than later obviously to get us over the hump. We need a win to get these young kids feeling good about what they are doing every day."
The Broncs travel to Teaneck to take on Fairleigh Dickinson University November 29.
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