Men's College Basketball
Rider University 82, Niagara University 65
NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, NY- Rider wins and Niagara falls. "We came here to get a win and move on to Canisius and that is what we are going to do," said Rider head coach Tommy Dempsey. "It was a good win."
Sophomore Jonathon Thompson (Orlando, Fla./Jones) barreled over Niagara. "I love the way he is playing," Dempsey said. "He's quite an athlete. The way he goes after rebounds and shares the ball. He is doing a fantastic job."
Thompson scored a career-high 16 points off the bench and added five assists and five rebounds to lead Rider to a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference win at Niagara Friday night. "He's playing well at both ends of the court."
In a game televised nationally on ESPNU, Rider (11-5, 3-1 MAAC) never trailed. The Broncs led 47-30 before going on a 10-0 run, six points by senior Mike Ringgold (Philadelphia, Pa./Roman Catholic), to take a 57-30 lead with 16:50 left.
Ringgold finished with 16 points and seven rebounds in just 26 minutes of work. Ringgold ranks 22nd in career scoring at Rider and 11th in career rebounds.
Junior Novar Gadson (Philadelphia, Pa./John Bartram) scored 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, and senior Justin Robinson (London, England/Blair Academy) added 16 points and six assists.
Gadson made seven of 11 shots from the field. Gadson has compiled 72 points, 30 rebounds, 12 assists, four steals and seven blocks in his last four games.
Robinson, who leads the MAAC in three-point field goal percentage and ranks 13th nationally, is second in the MAAC in free throw percentage and third in the MAAC in three pointers made, fourth in scoring and assists.
Junior Brandon Penn (Philadelphia, Pa./Paul Robeson) added nine points and six rebounds in 27 minutes of action.
Thompson made five of six shots from the field and all five of his foul shots.
For Niagara (3-13, 0-4 MAAC), Marvin Jordan scored 18 points. The loss was the sixth in a row for the Purple Eagles, who shot 29.4 percent from the field.
Holding an 18-17 lead, Rider out-scored Niagara 17-4, eight points by Thompson, to take a 35-21 lead with 6:00 left in the first half. "We do play in spurts," Dempsey explained. "That is both a strength and a weakness at times. It is a strength because we can put some points on the board in a hurry, which we have done a lot this year, but we need to back up those spurts a bit better."
Rider scored the final nine points of the first half to take a 47-27 lead at halftime. "We really played a good first half," Dempsey said. The Broncs shot 55.9 percent in the first half (19-34), including 54.5 percent from three (6-11). "We shot the ball really well in the first half."
The 11-5 start is the best start for Rider since beginning the 1982-83 season 14-4. Rider was 18-6 at one point during the 2007-08 season but began that year 8-6.
Rider has now won its last five games, and seven of the last nine games, with the two losses being at #6 Pitt and in overtime at Drexel. Pitt and Drexel began the season a combined 22-3. "We can get a lot better," Dempsey said. "I really believe that."
The last time Rider won five straight games was in 2009, when the Broncs won the final four games of the 2008-09 season and then defeated Saint Peter's in the MAAC Tournament. "Five in a row is a nice place to be," Dempsey said.
The Broncs shot 55.2 percent from the field (32-58), including 47.4 percent from three-point range (9-19).
Rider is currently fifth in the nation in three-point field goal percentage and 19th in overall field goal percentage.
The 2007 MAAC Champion, Niagara defeated Rider in the MAAC semifinal in 2009. Rider won all three games since then, 62-61 at Niagara and 70-62 at Rider last year.
It was the second straight year that Rider played on television at Niagara. Last season Rider defeated Niagara on the MSG television network. Rider was 4-2 on television last year and is 3-3 in televised games this year. Rider won twice on MAAC TV in 2008-09 and the Broncs were 7-3 on national television in 2007-08.
Rider will stay in Western New York to take on Canisius in Buffalo Sunday afternoon. Canisius defeated defending MAAC Champ Siena Friday night. "We're going to have a heck of a time getting six in a row," Dempsey said. "That will be a great test for us. Their win over Siena gives them some great momentum."
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