LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – A third-quarter outburst led reigning Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Champion Quinnipiac past Rider, 80-59, on Friday evening in conference play at Alumni Gymnasium.

The Bobcats (23-5, 17-0 MAAC) won their 18th straight game and completed the regular-season sweep of the Broncs (12-16,9-8 MAAC) to spoil Rider's Senior Day.

Before the contest, seniors Kamila Hoskova (Brno, Czech Republic/Sportovni Gymnazium Ludvika Danka) and Asyana'e Muwwakkil (Pemberton, NJ/Pemberton) were recognized for their contributions to the program. Hoskova made her 69 career start, while Muwwakkil made her first on Friday evening.

It was a back-and-forth game early on as there were eight lead changes during the first 20 minutes of play. Both teams shot over 56 percent from the field in the opening quarter as QU held a 23-19 edge after 10 minutes of action.

In the second quarter, the Broncs registered four assists on five made field goals, while hitting 8-of-10 from the charity stripe. Rider ended the half on a 5-0 run over the final 80 seconds of action capped by a pair of free throws from sophomore Stella Johnson (Denville, NJ/Morris Catholic)  to take a 38-37 edge into the break.  

Quinnipiac came out strong in third quarter, outscoring the Broncs by 16 (24-8) to take back a lead they would not surrender. In the stanza, the Bobcats held Rider to 15 percent (2-of-13) shooting and forced a pair of Bronc turnovers.

The third proved to be the difference as the Broncs would not get within single digits after the opening minutes of the second half.  

NOTES & QUOTES
"This is a resilient group. It's been a tough 24 hours for everybody. Our young ladies were ready to play tonight and they came out inspired. I thought we played as hard as we could for 40 minutes, but Quinnipiac was better than us tonight. They made more shots and took it at us in that third quarter which was the difference. I'm as proud as I could be of this group for the way we came out tonight and focused." – Rider Head Coach Lynn Milligan

"It's always nice on Senior Day to give the graduating players a chance to play. Tonight in front of a fantastic crowd I was happy for the two of them. A lot of Nae's contributions you don't really see on the court, but she's a big part of what we do on a daily basis. Obviously with Kami there's nothing I could even say that would do justice to what she has meant to this program and what she's given us every single day on and off the court. She's a special young lady and she wears our uniform with pride." – Milligan on Hoskova & Muwwakkil

- Rider ends the regular season with a 5-4 record at home in conference play.
- The win was the 12 straight for Quinnipiac against Rider.
- Quinnipiac was 10-of-16 from three-point range, while Rider hit 4-of-11 from distance.
- The Broncs hit over 78 percent (15-of-19) from the free-throw line.
- Rider forced 14 QU turnovers.  

BRONCS BY THE NUMBERS
- Stella Johnson scored in double digits for the 26th straight game. She scored a team-high 17 points to go along with six rebounds, two steals, three assists and one block. Stella has registered at least one blocked shot in nine of her last 10 games.
- In her final game, Hoskova poured in nine points to go along with five boards and three steals.
- Lexi Posset hit her first three shots from the field and finished with eight points.
- Freshman Jaiden Morris was the other Bronc in double figures, as she poured in 11 points off the bench in 24 minutes of action.   

UP NEXT
Rider closes out the regular season on Sunday, February 25 at 2:00 pm with a pivotal MAAC contest at Manhattan. The Broncs are looking for the regular-season sweep after topping the Jaspers earlier this winter in Lawrenceville. Sunday's clash will feature live stats as well as audio and video feeds. For the links visit the women's basketball schedule page on GoBroncs.com.