Women's College Basketball
Fairleigh Dickinson University 77, Rider University 50
HACKENSACK--The Rider University women's basketball team lost a non-conference game at FDU Monday night.
For Rider (0-5), sophomore Caitlin Bopp (Baltimore, Md./Inst. of Notre Dame) had her 12th career 'double-double' with 18 points and 12 rebounds, 11 on the offensive glass. The 18 points are one off her career-high.
Training 55-22 at the half, the Broncs cut the Knight lead to 23, six points by Bopp but that was as close as Rider would get with 10:54 remaining in the game.
"We challenged the team rather harshly at the half and Caitlin rose to the challenge," said head coach Lynn Milligan. "She is a warrior and we needed that step from her. She got after it on the glass."
Bopp added four steals and a block in 33 minutes of play.
Also for the Broncs, sophomore Shereen Lightbourne (Elmsford, N.Y./Alexander Hamilton) had a career-high 14 points in 32 minutes off the bench.
"Shereen also stepped up and is playing with more confidence the last two games," Milligan said. "She took some good shots and is finishing. I think she is turning the page and feels good about what she is doing."
FDU (3-2) opened the game on a 14-0 run and leading 20-5, used a 21-3 run to lead 41-8 with 8:53 left before the half.
"We're not starting games well," Milligan said. "We've been playing catch up and we are not coming out of the gates like we should. Once we find the answer for that, we'll be in much better shape."
Rider leads the all-time series against their former Northeast Conference rival 12-9 with the Knights winning the last two. FDU won 82-77 last season in Lawrenceville with the Broncs winning with 2.2 seconds left in overtime, 65-64 on the last visit to Stratis Arena at the Rothman Center in 2008-09.
The Broncs were out-rebounded 42-36.
There were 61 turnovers in the game with Rider committing 33. The Knights had 35 points off of turnovers to 16 for the Broncs.
Rider travels to Princeton Sunday at 2pm.
"Princeton is our closest rival and competitor," Milligan said about the Tigers who won the Ivy League in 2009-10, advancing to the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship Tournament. "Courtney (Banghart) has done an outstanding job the last few years and they have some terrific players. We will have our hands full but we have to go in there worried about Rider now and how we are starting games."
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