Men's College Basketball
Siena College 72, Rider University 62
ALBANY, NY-The Rider University men's basketball season came to an end Sunday in the semifinals of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championship Tournament, losing to the top seed and tournament host Siena.
But Rider (17-16, 9-9 MAAC) did not go down without a fight, against the team that was predicted to walk away with the title.
"I was proud of the way we played," said Rider head coach Tommy Dempsey. "I thought we were focused, we were ready, and we competed extremely hard. It was a hard-fought game by two good teams, two teams that really wanted to play tomorrow night (in the Title Game). We really wanted to be here through the weekend and we believed, we thought, we had a chance to win this tournament, thought we had a chance to beat Siena."
The Broncs jumped out to a 12-9 lead, all 12 points by senior Ryan Thompson (Mt. Laurel, N.J./Lenape), and Rider led 30-28 at intermission. "We were excited to play this game," Thompson said. "We came out with a fire. We were playing good basketball."
Thompson finished with 21 points and four rebounds in his final game as a Bronc.
Rider out-scored the Saints (26-6, 17-1 MAAC) 6-2 to start the second half, four points by junior Mike Ringgold (Philadelphia, Pa./Roman Catholic), to take a 36-30 lead. Ringgold finished with 20 points, 14 rebounds (tying a career high), four assists and four steals.
"Mike and Ryan were terrific," Dempsey said. "They played so well."
"Once I got it going I got into a rhythm," Ringgold said.
"20 and 14, he led us in assists and led us in steals," Dempsey said of Ringgold. "He had a terrific overall game, but I would say that Mike is difficult to defend every night."
Rider out-scored Siena 34-24 in the paint. "Mike enforced his will on the game," Dempsey said. "Mike is one of the toughest players that I have ever coached and one of the toughest in this league when he is playing with that kind of energy, that kind of emotion. It really lifts his teammates up."
The Broncs led 48-44 with 12:20 left to play before Siena showed why it is in the MAAC Title Game for the fourth straight season.
The Saints went on a 16-0 run, six points by Clarence Jackson, to take a 60-48 lead with 7:24 left to play, and the outcome was never in doubt after that. "Clarence stepped up and hit some big ones," Dempsey said. "Against a team like Siena you have to keep putting the ball in the basket. I thought our defense was tough, I thought we played hard and did what we were trying to do defensively, but if you go through a drought scoring it puts so much pressure on your defense."
Jackson finished with 17 points, 15 in the second half when Siena out-scored Rider 44-32.
"Siena played a really solid second half," Dempsey said, "almost mistake-free. They got to the free throw line and made their free throws (20 of 25 compared to Rider's seven of 10). They made clutch shots during that run. They went back to their zone (defense), where they've been successful in all three games against us. The zone slowed us down."
MAAC Player of the Year Alex Franklin led Siena with 18 points and eight rebounds, while First Team All-MAAC selection Ryan Rossiter added 10 points and a career-high 18 rebounds.
The preseason Player of the Year, Thompson scored 248 points in his last 11 collegiate games and received a standing ovation from the Siena crowd as he left in the final minute of the game. "I appreciated that," Thompson said. "It was a good feeling that everyone from the MAAC and the Siena people showed their respect for what I tried to do in my career at Rider."
Thompson scored a MAAC-high 566 points this season and finishes his Rider career with 1,879 career points, fourth highest ever at Rider. Thompson ended his Rider career with 734 rebounds, seventh most ever at Rider, and 393 assists, sixth most ever at Rider. He is the only Bronc to rank in the top 10 in career points, assists and rebounds.
"It is always tough when it is the end of your season," Dempsey said, "especially when you have a kid like Ryan Thompson leaving your program."
Rider sophomore Novar Gadson (Philadelphia, Pa./John Bartram) grabbed 11 rebounds and junior Justin Robinson (London, England/Blair Academy) added nine points and five rebounds.
For Siena, First Team All-MAAC selection Ronald Moore compiled 15 points and 10 assists, including a pair of big three-pointers, one during the 16-0 run. Moore leads the nation in assists but averages just 6.4 points per game. "Moore might have been the key," Dempsey said. "I love Ronald Moore but he hasn't been able to put the ball in the basket for most of the year, especially from three. He drained two threes tonight and it energized their team and the building."
Rider was picked to finish third in the conference before the season started and shocked the collegiate basketball world when it began the year with an upset at defending SEC champ Mississippi State. A 6-3 start, with 'quality' losses at Kentucky and Virginia, gave Bronc fans high hopes before a 3-7 swoon shook the Bronc faithful. But under Coach Dempsey the Broncs regrouped, won seven of 11 down the stretch and set themselves up for what everyone had hoped for back in October. Rider was 3-1 against the two teams in the other MAAC semifinals, Niagara and Fairfield.
Rider says goodbye to Ryan Thompson, who will go down in Bronc Basketball history as one of the greatest players to grace the Alumni Gym court.
"It is tough to say goodbye to Ryan," Dempsey said, "but we have a lot of talented players returning so we're looking forward to next year."
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