Men's College Basketball

Rider University 85, Manhattan College 77 (OT)

LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ— I Am Second is a multimedia movement and not-for-profit organization that is designed to inspire people to live differently through their faith.  Individuals who commit to this ideal, referred to as 'Seconds' include baseball player Albert Pujols, former NFL coach Tony Dungy and Duck Dynasty cast member Phil Robertson.

The Rider Broncs have been living differently this season, having already surpassed last year's win totals both overall and in the conference play, and can now say they are Second.

Senior Matt Lopez (Erial, NJ/Washington Twp.) compiled 27 points and 10 rebounds to lead Rider to an overtime victory over Manhattan in the battle for second place in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference in front of a sold out Broncs' Zoo crowd.

“First and foremost I want to thank our fans for a fun day in the Broncs' Zoo,” said Rider head coach Kevin Baggett.  “They were awesome and definitely the sixth man today. Today was fun, playing in this environment, with what was on the line. It doesn't get any better than that.”

Rider (16-9, 10-4 MAAC) made just 16 of 32 foul shots in the game, but made six of eight in the final 46 seconds of overtime to preserve the victory.

The victory was the second for Rider over Manhattan this year. “Those guys (Manhattan) are really good,” Baggett said.  “They compete and play hard. They get after it. To have an opportunity to sweep them speaks volumes about our team and where we are this year and what we've accomplished.”

Rider has now won four of its last five games and 12 of its last 15. “I can't be more proud of our guys, of what they've done all year long,” Baggett said.

It was the second consecutive game that Rider won in overtime. “When we get into overtime we stay composed and we believe it is our time,” Baggett said. “This team has been resilient all year long.”

The loss snapped Manhattan's four-game winning streak.

Manhattan (12-11, 9-5 MAAC), the defending MAAC Champion, never led in overtime.

Lopez made a field goal to give Rider a 74-72 lead to start overtime, the fourth and final lead change of the game. “The home crowd helped again today,” Lopez said.  “If they can affect the game, and I think they did today, that's awesome. We love to see our fans come out like they did again today.”

Lopez has compiled 47 points and 29 rebounds in his last two games.  “The MAAC player of the week,” Baggett predicted. “He stepped up big to win both games for us. In my mind he is not only a First Team All-MAAC selection this year he is a legitimate candidate for MAAC Player of the Year honors. I mean, look what he has done for us and look what we are doing with him.”

A three-point field goal by sophomore Jimmie Taylor (Branford, Fla./Suwannee) gave Rider a 79-73 lead with 3:09 left in overtime.  “We keep pushing each other, knowing we need to be resilient,” said Taylor, who now has 626 career points at Rider. 

Taylor finished with 13 points.

Rider junior Teddy Okereafor (London, England/VCU) made two foul shots with 17 seconds left in the second half to send the game into overtime. Okereafor, who made four of six foul shots in overtime, finished with 16 points, six assists and five rebounds.

Rider out-scored Manhattan 10-3, five points by junior Zedric Sadler (Detroit, Mich./Cody), to take a 68-67 lead with 3:56 left in the second half. Sadler finished with eight points, two assists and two steals in 26 minutes off the bench.

The score was tied at 44-44 before Manhattan used an 11-2 run to take a 55-46 lead with 13:10 left in the second half. “We recognize that basketball is a game of runs,” Lopez said.  “When we were down by 10 we said in the huddle that we had to buckle down and get some stops and the next time-out we were only down by four. It was a slow climb back in.”

Manhattan used a 25-8 run, eight points by Ashton Pankey and six by Emmy Andujar, to take its first lead of the game, 35-33, and the score was tied at 37-37 at the half. 

Pankey finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds, while Andujar finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds.

Also for the Jaspers, Shane Richards made four three-pointers and finished with 18 points.

Rider jumped out to a 13-3 lead, five points each by Lopez and Okereafor, and Rider led 25-10 after seven minutes of play. “Matt was awesome again tonight,” Taylor said.  “There is no other way to describe him. You really can't ask for more than what he is giving us.”

The Broncs and Jaspers have now met 45 times since the series began in 1929-30, with Rider winning 24, including 12 of the last 17. Since Rider joined the MAAC, the Broncs are 23-15 against the Jaspers, including 1-1 in post-season. 

At half time of Sunday's game Rider honored the 1963-64 Rider basketball team that upset 30-point favorite New York University, ending NYU's 23-year home court winning streak.

Rider now makes the annual trip to Western New York, taking on Canisius Friday night and Niagara Sunday afternoon. “We're going to go up there and compete against two good teams,” Baggett said.  “This is February so every game is big.”

Rider can now say I am Second. Rider fans, however, have faith that the Broncs could, before all is said and done, be first.

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