Hamden, CT – Freshman Jaiden Morris (Richmond,VA/Monacan) scored a career-high 18 points, but it wasn't enough as the Rider University women's basketball team fell to Quinnipiac,73-66,in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) action on Monday evening at the TD Bank Sports Center.

Morris was one of three Broncs to score in double figures in the contest as she knocked down an efficient 7-of-10 from the field.

Rider (6-11, 3-3 MAAC) saw its three-game conference winning streak come to an end, while the Bobcats (13-5, 7-0 MAAC) won their 17th straight game against a MAAC opponent.

Sophomore guard Stella Johnson (Denville, NJ/Morris Catholic) and senior Kamila Hoskova (Brno, Czech Republic/Sportovni Gymnazium Ludvika Danka) were the other Broncs to reach double figures. Johnson scored 12 points and Hoskova poured in 17.

Hoskova came out of the gates strong for the Broncs, scoring the first eight points for the guests. She had 10 points over the opening 10 minutes as Rider held a 19-16 advantage after the first quarter. Rider was unselfish in the opening frame, dishing out six assists on six made field goals.

The defending MAAC Champion Bobcats responded in the second quarter, starting the stanza on a 9-0 run over the first three minutes of play thanks to knocking down 4-of-7 from the field and forcing a trio or Bronc turnovers. Rider would battle back to take a 31-29 lead courtesy of an old-fashioned three-point play from Hoskova. Quinnipiac again would answer, scoring the final eight point of the quarter to take a 37-31 edge into halftime.

In the third, Rider scored 21 points and shot over 47 percent (8-of-17) from the field to pull within two at 54-52 heading into the fourth quarter. Morris went off in the third for the Broncs, scoring nine points on 4-of-4 shooting to go along with a pair of steals.

Quinnipiac held off a late Rider rally by hitting their free throws down the stretch to earn the hard-fought victory.

NOTES & QUOTES
"I'm not into moral victories. We let one get away today. We played a good ball game. We had a few too many mistakes that cost us at the end. It was unfortunate. We turned the ball over too much today. Credit to Quinnipiac they play great defense and do a good job of taking you out of what you like to do. They won that battle tonight." – Rider Head Coach Lynn Milligan

"We had some players step up and play really well tonight. Jaiden off the bench did a great job and Kammy played her warrior-type ball as usual. We had a good gameplan. I'm proud of our effort we just came up a little short." –Milligan  

- The win was Quinnipiac's 11th straight against Rider.
- The Broncs shot 54.5 percent (6-of-11) in the first quarter.
- Rider outscored Quinnipiac, 21-17, in the third quarter. The Broncs have now scored more points than their opponents in the third quarter in four games in a row.
- The Rider bench outscored the Bobcat reserves, 29-18.
- The Broncs had 15 fastbreak points.
- Rider outrebounded Quinnipiac, 34-26.

BRONCS BY THE NUMBERS
- Hoskova scored in double figures for the second straight game. She shot 5-of-14 from the field to go along with six rebounds and five assists. She was also 7-of-7 from the free-throw line.
- Morris scored in double figures for the first time in conference play. She tied a career-high with six rebounds and she also tied a career-high with three steals. Morris hit both of her free-throw attempts and canned a pair of three-pointers.
- Stella Johnson has scored in double figures a team-best 15 times. She grabbed six rebounds and dished out five assists. It was her fifth games this year with five or more assists.
- Stella Johnson, Kamila Hoskova and Lexi Posset accounted for all 16 of the team's assists. Posset had six to lead the Broncs.
- Off the bench, Lea Favre scored nine points on an efficient 4-of-5 shooting. The redshirt sophomore also pulled down five boards.  

UP NEXT
Rider returns to action on Thursday, January 18, with a home matinee against Niagara that is slated to get underway at 11:00 am inside Alumni Gymnasium. The Broncs swept the regular-season series with the Purple Eagles last year and have won three in a row versus Niagara. Thursday's tilt will feature live stats as well as audio and video feeds. For the links visit the women's basketball schedule page on GoBroncs.com.