Men's College Basketball
Rider University 66, Marist College 56
POUGHKEEPSIE, NY—On the three-day weekend when we celebrate the man who had a dream, Rider fans can celebrate the fact that the Broncs awoke from their recent nightmare.
After losing three of its last four games, the Rider men's basketball team defeated Marist Saturday night in a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference game.
“This is a resilient group,” said Rider head coach Kevin Baggett. “They responded well today after the way we've been playing. They know they are better than the way we've been playing, especially on the defensive end. I'm really proud of them.”
Senior Anthony Myles (Dover, DE/Poly-Tech) scored 23 points to lead Rider (9-8, 5-3 MAAC). “I just took what the defense gave me,” said Myles, who made five of seven three-point shots. “My jump shot was going tonight.”
The Broncs made eight of eight foul shots in the finals 2:27, four by Myles, to preserve the victory. Myles moved up to 22nd at Rider in career scoring with 1,233 points.
Rider used an 11-2 run to take a 48-29 lead with 8:35 left to play.
Rider out-scored Marist 11-4 to start the second half, four points each by senior Daniel Stewart (Philadelphia, PA/Neumann-Goretti) and freshman Kahlil Thomas (Parkway, Fla./Blanche Ely), to take a 33-21 lead.
“Kahlil is doing a really good job,” Baggett said. “He's coming along and with more experience we feel he is going to be a winner for us.”
Stewart finished with 17 points and eight rebounds, while Thomas had 10 points and seven rebounds.
Stewart moved up to 23rd in career scoring at Rider with 1,226, Stewart is fifth in career rebounds among Broncs with 798.
Rider led 22-17 at the half. The 17 points is the least Rider has allowed in a half this year. “We were really focused on getting stops in the first half,” Myles said. “We knew the offense would eventually come.”
Marist shot just 32 percent from the field. “Holding them to 32 percent shooting, this was one of our finer defensive games of the season,” Baggett said.
Marist used an 11-0 run, six points by Manny Thomas, to cut the lead to 19-17, as Rider went 7:30 without scoring. Thomas finished with eight points off the bench.
Rider used a 15-1 run, four points by sophomore Zedric Sadler, to take a 19-6 lead with 8:20 left in the first half. Sadler finished with four points, five assists and six rebounds.
For Marist (5-12, 2-5 MAAC), junior guard Chavaughn Lewis scored 15 points and Khallid Hart added 11 points. Lewis is averaging 16.9 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.
Senior center Adam Kemp is averaging 7.9 points and 7.3 rebounds per game but did not play the last two games. Saturday Kemp, compiled 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Rider out-rebounded Marist 38-22. “That was huge,” Baggett said of the rebound margin, “especially with Kemp being back. That was something we talked about before the game, that we had to out-rebound them or be close to it in order to win this game.”
Rider has now won 12 of the last 13 meetings with Marist. These two teams have now met 49 times since the series began in 1980-81, with Rider winning 27, including 18 of the last 25.
Rider travels to Manhattan January 24 for a 7pm ESPNU game. “We're excited for an ESPNU game,” Baggett said.
Manhattan was upset by Fairfield on Saturday. “They'll be hungry,” Baggett said. “We are going to have to play defense the way we played tonight.”
Martin Luther King, Jr. once said that he has “Been to the Mountaintop” stating that he just wanted to do God's will.
The Broncs hope to return to the mountaintop, the MAAC Championship Game, and showed Saturday night that they could, as long as they do Baggett's will.
Defend.
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