LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – Sophomore guard Stella Johnson (Denville, NJ/Morris Catholic) stuffed the stat sheet for the Rider University women's basketball team on Sunday afternoon as the Broncs defeated Iona, 80-53, in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) action inside Alumni Gymnasium.

Rider (11-14, 8-6 MAAC) completed the regular-season sweep of Iona with the victory, while the Gaels (1-24, 1-13 MAAC) dropped their fourth straight league contest.

Johnson recorded her fourth double-double of the season thanks to a 17-point, 10-assist performance. She also added seven rebounds, six steals and one block, while shooting 8-of-10 from the field to the lead offensive attack for the Broncs.

Rider came out of the gates charging for the second game in a row, opening the tilt on a 10-0 run over the first 6:06 of play. In the opening frame, the Broncs shot over 57 percent (8-of-14) from the field and forced seven Gael turnovers to build a 19-9 edge after 10 minutes.

The Rider lead ballooned to as many as 18 in the second quarter before Iona scored the final five points of the half as the Broncs took a 37-24 edge into the break. Rider was hot from three-point range in the first half, converting 4-of-7 attempts.

The Broncs hit 9-of-14 shots from the field in the third quarter to stretch their lead to as many as 27 late in the stanza. In the fourth, Rider didn't take their foot off the gas pedal. The hosts finished strong to earn the pivotal MAAC win. 

Joining Stella in double figures for the Broncs were senior Kamila Hoskova (Brno, Czech Republic/Sportovni Gymnazium Ludvika Danka), sophomore wing Lexi Stover (Malvern, PA/Archbishop Carroll) and freshman guard Jaiden Morris (Richmond, VA/Monacan). Hoskova had 17 points, while Stover scored 12. Morris had 14 points thanks to knocking down a career-best four three-pointers.

NOTES & QUOTES
"A huge focal point of ours this week in practice was that we have start games better and put ourselves in a better situation. We were able to come out strong for the second game in a row to help us break our pattern of win-lose-win-lose. I was pleased with the start." – Rider Head Coach Lynn Milligan

"We had assists on more than half of our field goals. This team is really unselfish and they understand our philosophy of give up the shot that you can't make for the one that we won't miss. It's something we talk about a lot. We have some really smart players and they don't care who is scoring the points. The bottom line is who has more points at the end of the game and that's what is most important to our players." ­– Milligan   

- The win was the fourth straight for the Broncs against Iona as Rider swept the regular-season series with the Gaels for the second year in a row.
- The 80 points were a season-high for Rider.
- The Broncs hits a season-high 11 three-pointers. The team also shot almost 69 percent (11-of-16) from beyond the arc.
- Rider tied a season-best by shooting 59.6 percent (31-of-52) from the field.
- Rider had 17 assists on the day. It marked the second straight game that the Broncs had 16 or more dimes.
- The Broncs forced 22 turnovers. The team has forced 42  turnovers in their last two games.
- Rider never trailed in the contest. It was their second game in a row in which they did not face a deficit. 

BRONCS BY THE NUMBERS
- Stella leads the team with 19 blocked shots. She has blocked at least one shot in six of her last seven games. She shot a season-best 80 percent (8-of-10) from the field. Her 10 assists were a new career-high and her six steals tied a season-high.
- Lexi Stover scored in double figures for the second game in a row. She tied a career-high with four three-pointers made. On the day, she hit 4-of-7 from the field.
- Jaiden Morris had 11 of her 14 points in the fourth quarter. She set a new career-high with four three-pointers made. She also added one steal.
- Hoskova had 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting for the Broncs. She also grabbed four rebounds and had two assists. At the free-throw line, she converted all five of her attempts.

UP NEXT
Rider hits the road next weekend, traveling to Buffalo for a pair of game against Canisius and Niagara. The Broncs will take on the Purple Eagles on Friday, February 16 at 7:00 pm. Rider is looking for the season sweep of Niagara after scoring a 65-58 triumph against NU in mid-January. Friday'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.