Women's College Basketball
Canisius College 77, Rider University 58
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Game
BUFFALO, N.Y.--Sophomore Sarah Homan (Upper Darby, Pa./Delco Christian) tied a career-high with 14 points and junior Cintella Spotwood (Trenton/Trenton Central) added 13 but the Rider University women's basketball team lost a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference game at Canisius Monday night.
Homan notched her first career 'double-double' with 10 rebounds with Spotwood pulling down nine rebounds and dishing out five assists in 37 minutes of play.
"Sarah is playing tough," said head coach Lynn Milligan. "She had 14 and 10. I think she could have easily had 20 points easy. Radke (Ellie Radke, 15 points, seven rebounds, two assists, two steals) is a savvy veteran and she is not going to let you get anything easy. She is going to make you work for everything and I think she frustrated a few of our post players."
Leading 34-33 with 19:05 left, Canisius (10-13, 5-7 MAAC) went on a 9-2 run, opening up an eight point lead (43-35) with 15:44 left.
After Spotwood cut the Golden Griffin lead to five, 45-40 with 13:19 left, Canisius responded with a 13-4 run to pull away.
Canisius jumped out to a 5-0 lead and led 7-2 three minutes in. Trailing 14-7, Rider (3-20, 1-11 MAAC) rallied with an 8-0 run, three points each by senior Amanda Sepulveda (Perth Amboy/Hun) and Spotwood as the Broncs took a 15-14 lead with 11:49 left in the opening half. Sepulveda finished with nine points.
Trailing 16-15, Spotwood hit back to back three-pointers giving Rider a 21-16 lead 9:38 before the half.
Freshman Dior Brown (Upper Darby, Pa./Upper Darby) completed the 8-0 run with a fast break layup, putting the Broncs ahead 23-16 at the 7:57 mark, Rider's largest lead of the game. Spotwood had three field goals from three-point range in the game and D. Brown finished with two points and six rebounds.
Canisus responded with a 17-2 run, before freshman Carleigh Brown (Philadelphia, Pa./Nazareth Academy) scored rider's last five points of the half and the Golden Griffins led 34-31 at intermission. C. Brown finished with six points and four rebounds.
Rider played only nine players due to injury with four-time MAAC Rookie of the Week honoree Caitlin Bopp missing her second straight game due to a back injury.
The Broncs have lost two in a row.
Canisius out-rebounded Rider 44-38. The Golden Griffins made 11 three-pointers in the game.
"Defensively we gave up way to many wide open shots," said Milligan. "Canisius is a terrific shooting basketball team and we did not tighten up on the shooters as well as we needed to. Eleven made threes is not going to get it done."
This was the 29th meeting between Rider and Canisius with the Golden Griffins winning 23 times. Canisius defeated the Broncs 78-48 on January 16 in Lawrenceville.
Rider travels to Poughkeepsie, New York for a MAAC game against defending conference champion Marist Friday night.
"I think that when Niagara beat them (Marist) last weekend that might have refocused them a little bit," Milligan said about the Red Foxes. This time of the year in February when veterans like Rachele Fitz (18.3 ppg.) and Erica Allenspach (13.8 ppg.) get it going and with some of the young guards they have, it will be tough. They are going to be a formidable opponent for us. We have to go up there in a hostile environment and be ready to play."
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