Women's College Basketball
Manhattan College 55, Rider University 52
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Game

RIVERDALE, N.Y.—13 has been known as an unlucky number, especially for the Rider University women's basketball team.

For the second game in a row, Rider gave up a 13 point lead and Manhattan College took advantage, snapping a program record 10 game losing streak with a come from behind 55-52 victory over the Broncs on Sunday.

For Rider (3-11, 0-4 MAAC), junior Emily Fazzini (Wayne, Pa./Archbishop Carroll) had 13 points and seven rebounds in 34 minutes of play.

This was the third game in a row (all losses), that the Bronc leading scorer had 13 points and Rider is 0-4 in games this season when the team-leader has exactly 13. 

“Overall it was a good ball game,” said head coach Lynn Milligan.  “We played an exceptional first half and if you really break it down, the first four minutes in the second half really cost us.”

Rider put forth its second best first half shooting effort of the season at 41 percent (11-27) in the opening 20 minutes.

Trailing 31-19 at intermission, Manhattan (2-11, 1-3 MAAC) opened the second half with an 11-0 run, getting to within 31-30 with 15:30 remaining in the game.

Rider responded to push the lead back to five before the Jaspers went on a 16-2 run to take a 48-39 lead with 6:55 remaining in the game.

The Broncs scored the next eight points in a row, four points by sophomore Julia Duggan (Marmora/Ocean City) as Rider trailed 48-47 with 2:18 left.  Duggan finished with 10 points and added five rebounds (three offensive) and four steals in 31 minutes.

Trailing 53-49 after two Jasper free throws, Fazzini hit a three-pointer, her third of the game to get the Broncs within one with 7.7 seconds left and after two more Manhattan free throws, Rider had a chance to tie at the buzzer with the shot off the mark. 

“After the dry spell, I was happy that we got back in it and had a chance to tie the game at the end,” Milligan added.

Rider opened the game six for nine from three-point range but made only one of eight from long distance in the final 23 minutes of the game.

Manhattan was 18-22 (82 percent) from the free throw line including five for six in the final 34 seconds.  Rider was 5-14 (36 percent) from the free throw line.

“We were focused and I don't think we got rattled,” Milligan said.  “It was a matter of putting Manhattan on the free throw line too many times and them making their foul shots.”

Each team had 19 turnovers with Rider causing three Jasper shot clock violoations, all in the opening half.  The Broncs appeared to have a fourth 30-second clock violation with 8:28 left in the game that wasn't reviewed, leading to an offensive rebound basket and the resulting 6-0 Jasper run pushed the lead back to nine after Rider had cut it to 42-39.

"We were told by the officials that there would have been a second left on the shot clock, even accounting for the inadvertent reset," Milligan said postgame.

Trailing 9-4, Rider took a 16-11 lead with 9:11 left in the opening half on the strength of a 12-2 run, five points by freshman Kamila Hoskova (Czech Republic).  Hoskova finished with nine points and six rebounds in 23 minutes.

Leading 19-18, Rider held Manhattan without a field goal for the final 5:18 of the opening half and used a 12-0 run, three points each by Fazzini, Duggan and senior Lashay Banks (Philadelphia, Pa./Prep Charter) to open up a 31-18 lead with 59.9 seconds left in period one.  Banks finished with seven points and seven rebounds in 30 minutes.

A Jasper free throw made the score 31-19 at intermission.

Rider out-rebounded Manhattan 34-33, 16-10 on the offensive glass.

Also for the Broncs, sophomore Taylor Wentzel (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) had seven points and four assists in 24 minutes off the bench.

This was the 39th meeting all-time between Rider and Manhattan with the Jaspers winning for the 28th time.  The teams split two games last season with each team winning on the road. 

The teams meet again in Lawrenceville on February 15 as part of National Girls and Women in Sports Day.

“We have to play with more consistency,” Milligan said.  “That's the bottom line.  We are still stuck on playing well for 30 minutes instead of 40.  We have to put 40 minutes together and win a ball game.”

This is the second game in a row and third time in four games that Rider could have tied or taken the lead in the final 1:22 of a game but it is also the third time in four games that Rider has given up a double-digit lead in the second half.  The Broncs led by 10 at Binghamton on December 29 with 11:52 remaining and held a 13 point lead at Saint Peter's with 14:00 left on January 2.

After 11 of the first 14 games of the season on the road, Rider returns home for three straight in Alumni Gymnasium, beginning with a noon game against Monmouth University on Thursday.

“Hopefully being back home will give us a little energy and a kick start,” Milligan said.  “It will be nice to be home for a couple of games and we have to take advantage of that opportunity and get ourselves back in the mix.”

-RU-