Box Score Men's College Basketball
Rider University 82, Charleston Southern University 72
CHARLESTON, SC— A local expression here states that Charleston Harbor is where the Cooper and Ashley Rivers come together to form the Atlantic Ocean.
On Saturday night, Broncs Jimmie Taylor and Teddy Okereafor came together to form a Rider victory.
Junior Jimmie Taylor (Branford, Fla./Suwannee) compiled 19 points and seven rebounds and graduate student Teddy Okereafor (London, England/VCU) added 16 points and 11 rebounds to lead Rider to victory at Charleston Southern University Saturday night.
“I'm happy for our guys,” said Rider head coach Kevin Baggett. “I thought we were pretty resilient tonight. They (CSU) started to shoot it well and got back into the game. Our guys kept their composure.”
December 12 would have been Frank Sinatra's 100th birthday. On Saturday night, Okereafor proved to be the Chairman of the boards with a career-high in rebounds.
If ole' blue eyes would have seen Rider's game Saturday evening, he might have told the Broncs he liked The Way You Look Tonight.
Also for Rider, freshman Kealen Ives (Providence, RI/Classical) scored a career-high 15 points and added four assists. Ives made a three-point field goal with 1:06 left to give Rider a 75-68 lead. “Kealen made a big three,” Baggett said.
Rider made seven of eight foul shots in the final 50 seconds, four by Taylor, to preserve the lead. “Jimmie really stepped up late in the second half,” Baggett said.
The win snapped a four-game losing streak for Rider (2-8). “It's been a long time,” Baggett said of his last win, coming November 25. “This was a good team win.”
Charleston Southern (3-6), the 2015 Big South regular season champion, led 4-2, its only lead of the game.
Rider out-scored CSU 6-3, all six from senior Khalil Alford (Raleigh, NC/Fishburne Military), to take a 55-48 lead with 14:00 left to play. Alford, playing with a heavy heart after the recent loss of his grandmother, compiled 12 points in 15 minutes off the bench. “I'm happy for Khalil, to have this game, have this win after his grandmother passed away,” Baggett said. “The guys rallied around him tonight.”
CSU out-scored Rider 11-7 to start the second half, all 11 by Raemond Robinson, to cut the Bronc lead to 49-45 with 16:30 left to play. Robinson finished with 14 points, all in the second half.
CSU scored the final six points of the first half to cut the Bronc lead to 42-34 at halftime. The first half was the first time Rider scored 40 points in a half all season. In the second half the Broncs did it again.
“The 82 points is a good sign,” Baggett said. “I keep hearing that we can't score. We can score, we just need to continue to get better.”
Holding a 9-7 lead, Rider went on a 12-0 run, seven points by Okereafor, to take a 21-7 lead with 10:30 left in first half.
Rider defeated Charleston Southern 61-54 in February of 2013 as part of the ESPN BracketBuster in the only other meeting between these two teams.
CSU has been among the national leaders the last three seasons in both three-point field goals made and attempted. On Saturday the Bucs made 12 of 39 from beyond the arc.
Once final exams are finished the Broncs will travel to New England to take on #15 Providence College December 19.
As we all know, there are no ties in basketball. After Saturday night's victory, there will not be any neck ties in the near future for the Rider basketball coaches. When Coach Baggett forgot his tie, the rest of the coaching staff showed solidarity by not wearing ties either.
“I'm not a superstitious man,” Baggett said, “'but I am now 2-0 without a tie so I guarantee you I will not be wearing a tie next Saturday night.”
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