Women's College Basketball
Rider University 71, St. Francis College Brooklyn 59

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS, N.Y.—Led by 20 points from junior Robin Perkins (Willingboro/Trenton Catholic), the Rider University women's basketball team remained undefeated with a 71-59 non-conference win at St. Francis Brooklyn on Wednesday night.

“We came into the game searching to establish an identity and I think we took a good step toward that by playing strong defense which led to the win,” said head coach Lynn Milligan.  “We look at the games like a business trip and we stepped off the bus and got the job done.”

“We picked up our defense in the second half and that's what won the game for us,” said Perkins who had five of Rider's 17 steals.  “We were aggressive on defense and knew what we had to do.”

Perkins played 39 minutes and added two assists and a block while shooting 8-15 from the field.

“We weren't in great sync tonight,” Milligan said.  “We made plays defensively that got us out in transition.  Robin timed her steals well and found ways to score.”

“Scoring in transition picked up the game for us,” Perkins said.  “We were able to get easier scores than having to grind out each possession.”

Trailing 34-33 at the half, Rider out-scored the Terriers 20-9 in the third quarter and leading 43-41, Rider used a 13-2 run, taking a 56-43 lead with 8:21 left in the game, four points each by Perkins and sophomore Kamila Hoskova (Czech Republic).  Hoskova finished with 12 points, four rebounds and three steals in 19 minutes of play.

“Kam is one of those kids who is going to do exactly what you say to do, every time,” said Milligan.  “I thought she was terrific tonight.”

Rider was only 14 of 25 from the free throw line but made four of six free throws in the final minute to ice the game.

Trailing 2-0, Perkins scored the next five points in the game to give the Broncs the early lead.  Perkins had eight in the opening quarter as Rider led 19-16 after the opening 10 minutes.

Trailing 21-16, the Terriers went on a 6-0 run to go into the lead 22-21 with 6:10 left in the second quarter.

Rider led 23-22 before St. Francis Brooklyn used a 12-4 run, taking a 34-27 lead with 1:53 left in the second quarter.  The four Bronc points came from senior Manon Pellet (Marseille, France).  Pellet finished with 10 points and added seven assists in 35 minutes of play.  Pellet is 14th all-time on Rider's assist list with 251.

Rider ended the half on a 6-0 run, two points each by junior Julia Duggan (Marmora/Ocean City), Perkins and Hoskova and the Broncs went into intermission trailing 34-33.  Duggan just missed a 'double-double' with 13 points and nine rebounds, shooting a perfect five for five from the field.

Also for the Broncs, junior Taylor Wentzel (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) had five steals and four assists to go along with three points in 31 minutes.

Rider improved to 22-5 all-time against the Terriers, snapping a two-game losing streak in the series.  The team met last season in the preseason WNIT in a game hosted by Towson.

Rider was out-rebounded 41-23, including 15-5 on the offensive glass but made up for that deficit with the 17 steals.  The Terriers were forced into 23 turnovers with the Broncs only committing nine.

The 17 steals is the most ever for Rider under Milligan, who in her ninth season and the most for Rider since January 6, 2004 when the Broncs had 18 steals in a 73-55 win against Loyola Maryland.  Rider had 16 steals against Manhattan last season and 16 steals at Loyola Maryland during the 2012-13 season.

“We really stepped up defensively in the second half and that led to the comeback,” Milligan said.  “St. Francis is a very well coached team and I thought we responded well to the things we had to do in the final 20 minutes.  St. Francis was a challenge to defend against; they run a lot of good stuff and they have a lot of movement.”

The last time Rider opened a season 2-0 was during 2011-12 when the Broncs defeated Lafayette College and Bucknell University.

“The 2-0 start feels great,” Perkins said.

Rider travels to Maryland Baltimore County for a non-conference game on Saturday at 1pm.

-RU-