Women's College Basketball
Rider University 62, Niagara University 56
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Game
LAWRENCEVILLE-The Rider University women's basketball team ended the regular season with Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference win over Niagara on Sunday in a game televised on MSG Plus at Alumni Gym.
Rider (5-24, 5-13 MAAC) was led by 12 points each from junior Ali Heller (Boca Raton, Fla./St. Andrews) and freshman MyNeshia McKenzie (Springfield, Pa./Springfield (Delco)).
"The win was big heading into the conference tournament next week," said head coach Lynn Milligan. "Having a great crowd (over 1,000 fans) and playing well on television was important because for many fans, this was one of the only times they may have seen us and we wanted to do well."
Holding a 36-30 lead, Rider went on a 10-0 run, six points by McKenzie, to take a 46-30 lead with 8:32 left to play. McKenzie, a two-time MAAC Rookie of the Week honoree, also had seven rebounds in 33 minutes of play.
Niagara (1-28, 0-18 MAAC) out-scored Rider 13-4 to cut the lead to 50-43 with 2:59 left, but that was as close as the Purple Eagles could get as Rider used five free throws by red-shirt sophomore Alyssa Parsons (Ivyland, Pa./Archbishop Wood) to put the game away. Parsons finished with seven points and a career-high seven assists in 30 minutes.
"We could have made things a little easier at the end," Milligan added. "But our goals were defensive intensity and offensive execution and for the most part we did that."
Holding a 28-26 lead, Rider went on an 8-0 run, all eight points by Heller, to take a 36-26 lead with 14:51 left to play. Heller entered play eighth in the nation in three-point field goal percentage and finished two for six from beyond the arc.
Also for the Broncs, junior Sarah Homan (Upper Darby, Pa./Delco Christian) had eight points and a game-high 11 rebounds, sophomore Caitlin Bopp (Baltimore, Md./Inst. of Notre Dame) added 10 points and six rebounds and sophomore Shereen Lightbourne (Elmsford, N.Y./Alexander Hamilton) had nine points and a career-high eight rebounds.
"For us to be successful, it has to be a collective team effort and today was," Milligan said. "We aren't a team that is a one person show and has someone who will drop in 30 a night so we need balanced scoring and many different weapons that we can go to."
With the score tied at 16-16, Rider out-scored Niagara 10-2 over the final 4:42 of the first half, four points by Homan, to take a 26-18 lead at intermission.
Rider had six turnovers in the first five minutes and only committed 11 for the rest of the game. "We got a little antsy at the start," Milligan said. "We had to tighten some things up, slow down and make good passes and that was the adjustment that we made."
Rider out-rebounded Niagara 44-31 including 20-11 on the offensive glass.
The Purple Eagles, who has lost 23 straight, took Rider to triple overtime nine days ago at Niagara before losing 79-73.
This was the 32nd meeting between the Broncs and Niagara with Rider winning 14 times.
Rider, the number nine seed, will play #8 Saint Peter's in the preliminary round of the 2011 Spark Energy MAAC Basketball championships in Bridgeport, Connecticut on March 3 at 2pm. The official pairings will be announced by the conference office Monday afternoon.
Rider and Saint Peter's split the season series with the Broncs winning 70-69 in overtime in Alumni Gym on January 15. The Peahens defeated Rider February 24 by a 62-49 score in Jersey City.
"Saint Peter's knows what we are going to do and we know what they will do," Milligan said. "It is one of those games where we really have to be on point with our defensive effort and what we do on the offensive end. We know we can win and to do that, we can't afford to have any empty possessions."
-RU-
