Men's College Basketball
Fairfield University 61, Rider University 52
BRIDGEPORT, CT- On the day we celebrate the man who had a dream, there was no celebrating in the Rider locker room as the Bronc nightmare continues.
Rider was held to a season-low 52 points, shooting just 32 percent from the field, as the Broncs lost a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference game at Fairfield Monday night.
"It wasn't a thing of beauty out there," said Rider head coach Tommy Dempsey. "It was a struggle. We're in a tough stretch right now."
The Broncs played their seventh away game in the last eight contests. "We looked tired, I thought," Dempsey said. "Tired legs. We've been on the road for a long stretch and we looked a little road weary tonight. Playing eight of nine games on the road at this point of the season is a lot to ask of a team."
Trailing 47-34, Rider (6-13, 3-4 MAAC) went on a 13-6 run, five points by junior Jonathon Thompson (Orlando, Fla./Jones), to cut the lead to 53-47 with 5:49 left to play.
"I thought we competed hard," Dempsey said, "but that was the biggest struggle of the year offensively. Normally that's not our issue, on the offensive end. Tonight we just didn't have much of a mojo."
Rider cut the lead to five points with 36 seconds left but that was as close as the Broncs could get.
Thompson finished with five points and four assists.
Holding a 37-32 lead, Fairfield (9-9, 4-3 MAAC) out-scored Rider 10-2, four points by senior forward Rankin Sanders, to take a 47-34 lead with 12:04 left to play. Sanders, a transfer from Boston College, finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds. "He gave them some good energy," Dempsey said of Sanders. "When he gets engaged he can be a handful."
The Broncs out-rebounded Fairfield 35-30. "I thought we rebounded the ball very well and competed hard defensively," Dempsey said. "We stayed alive with our defense through a long offensive struggle, but the missed layups hurt. Missed layups and missed foul shots are very deflating, especially in a low-scoring, defensive game."
Holding a 20-19 lead, Fairfield went on an 11-2 run, five points by All-MAAC guard Derek Needham, to take a 31-21 lead, and Fairfield led 35-28 at the half. Needham finished with 15 points, six assists and four rebounds.
Trailing 17-10, Rider out-scored Fairfield 9-3, four points by freshman Junior Fortunat (Quebec, Canada/Roman Catholic), to cut the lead to 20-19 with 7:55 left in the first half. Fortunat finished with six points and four rebounds in 14 minutes of play off the bench.
Fairfield scored the first eight points of the game, six by Desmond Wade on a pair of three-pointers. Wade finished with 10 points.
The Broncs were led by senior Brandon Penn (Philadelphia, Pa./Paul Robeson), who compiled 11 points and seven rebounds.
"We played hard but it seemed at times we did not have our legs under us," said Penn, who is averaging over 18 points (138) and close to 10 rebounds per game (76) over the last eight contests. "I don't think any of us played well tonight."
Rider sophomore Daniel Stewart (Philadelphia, PA/Neumann-Goretti) added 11 points and four rebounds. Senior Jeff Jones (Chester, PA/Monsignor Bonner) added eight points and four rebounds in 26 minutes off the bench.
The Stags were 3-0 in the MAAC before losing their last three before tonight, including a 66-63 loss to Loyola on Friday when the visiting Greyhounds out-scored Fairfield 11-1 over the final two minutes of the game.
The Broncs won here in Connecticut last season 96-87 in the last meeting between these two teams.
Rider and Fairfield have now met 49 times since the series began in 1951-52, with Rider winning 23, including seven of the last 11.
Rider is 16-14 against Fairfield since joining the MAAC, including a postseason win in the 2005 MAAC semifinals.
Rider plays its eighth road game in nine contests Friday when the Broncs take on Iona at 10pm in an ESPNU College Basketball Built by the Home Depot contest.
Coach Dempsey still has a dream, a dream that can be realized in March. "College basketball is all about ups and downs," Dempsey said. "Right now we are not good enough to win a MAAC Championship. But we are talented enough to become a good team by the end of the year and compete come tournament time. That is what we are focusing on. We have seven (of 10) home games down the stretch and I do think there are wins coming."
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