Lawrenceville, NJ – The Rider University women's basketball team opened Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) play up with an 80-69 setback versus Marist on Thursday evening inside Alumni Gymnasium.

Three players scored in double figures for the Broncs as the team, led by sophomore guard Stella Johnson (Denville, NJ/Morris Catholic) with 26 points.

Rider (3-9, 0-1 MAAC) dropped their second straight, while the Red Foxes (5-8, 1-0 MAAC) won their second game in a row by double digits.  

Marist opened the game on a 10-0 run over the first four minutes of play before sophomore forward Aubre Johnson (Post Falls, ID/Post Falls) got Rider on the board with a nice move in the post. The Red Foxes were red hot from the field over the first 10 minutes, knocking down 14-of-19 from the field to lead 29-8 after the first quarter.

Rider would not go away, cutting the deficit to single digits at 34-25 thanks to starting the second quarter on a 17-5 run. During the spurt, the Broncs knocked down three shots from beyond the arc and forced a trio of Marist turnovers. In the second quarter, Rider outscored Marist, 24-15, to trail by 12 at 44-32 at the half.

Trailing by 10 entering the fourth quarter, the Broncs were able to cut the deficit to single digits early following a pair of free throws from senior Kamila Hoskova (Brno, Czech Republic/ Sportovni Gymnazium Ludvika Danka). Marist answered with stop and baskets to stretch their edge back to double digits. Down the stretch, the Red Foxes connected on their free throws to escape with the victory.

Offensively, Johnson led the charge for the Broncs thanks to hitting 11-of-21 from the field. It was her second game this season with 20 or more points. Sophomore guard Lexi Stover (Malvern, PA/Arhcbishop Carroll) and sophomore forward Lea Favre (Vevey, Switzerland/Lycee Jeanne D'Arc) were the other Broncs in double figures. Favre had 14 points on an efficient 7-of-9 shooting, while Stover added 11 thanks to knocking down three shots from three-point range.

NOTES & QUOTES
"Marist shot great tonight. Obviously our defense was back on our heels in the first half and we gave up some easy looks. A couple of miscommunications cost of. We were prepared for the game tonight, but we weren't ready at the start. We'll always be prepared, but we need to be ready. It took us 10 minutes to get into it. I knew we were going to back, it's who we are and what we do. We just dug ourselves a pretty deep hole." – Rider Head Coach Lynn Milligan

"I was happy with the last three quarters. We still had defensive breakdowns and we didn't play perfect, but you take away that first quarter and it's more of an even game. We need to make sure that when the ball is tipped we are ready to go and not on our heels." – Milligan

"Once Kami gets used to playing with the mask, Stella is doing what she does, Stover and LP making shots and Lea started to really step up and show that she can score at this level – I'm happy with the direction we are going in. We are still a work in progress. The last three quarters today were a good step. When you get hit in the mouth like we did in the first quarter a young, inexperienced team could have folded and we could have lost this game by 30. We didn't." – Milligan

- The loss snapped a two-game winning streak for Rider against Marist after the Broncs swept the season series last year.
- Marist leads the all-time series, 41-15.
- Rider shot over 62 percent (10-of-16) in the second quarter.
- The Broncs attempted just one free throw in the first half.
- Rider shot over 47 percent from the field (28-of-59) from the field.
- Marist held a 41-26 advantage on the boards and had 18 second-chance points.

BRONCS BY THE NUMBERS
- Lexi Stover has hit two or more three-pointers in four straight games. It marked the sixth time this season she has connected on more than trey in a game. She has hit a team-high 19 shots from beyond the arc this year.
- Stella Johnson had nine points on 4-of-4 shooting in the second quarter to help bring the Broncs back into the game. She also added five rebounds, six assists and three steals on the night. It was her seventh game with three or more steals this year.
- Lea Favre scored in double figures for the third game in a row and the fourth time in 2017-18. She also added five rebounds. Over her last three games she is shooting over 64 percent (20-of-31) from the field.
- Kamila Hoskova had three steals. It marker her fourth time with three of more steals this year. She finished with eight points. Hoskova knocked down two free throws. She has hit 27 straight from the free-throw line.  

UP NEXT
Rider returns to action at home on Saturday, December 30, as Siena comes to Alumni Gym for a MAAC showdown that is slated to begin at 2:00 pm.  The Broncs swept the regular season series with the Saints last year. The contest is the third of three straight home games for the Broncs and will feature live stat as well as audio and video feeds. For the links visit the women's basketball schedule page on GoBroncs.com.