RIVERDALE, NY – The Rider University women's basketball team rallied to defeat Manhattan, 53-50, in overtime in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) action on Sunday afternoon at Draddy Gymnasium.

The Broncs (13-16, 10-8 MAAC) secured the No. 5 seed in the upcoming MAAC Tournament with the win, while the Jaspers (12-17, 9-9 MAAC) will be the seventh seed following the setback.   

Rider outscored Manhattan, 9-6, in overtime with four different players scoring points to top Manhattan. Trailing by one with under 30 seconds left in overtime, senior Kamila Hoskova (Brno, Czech Republic/Sportovni Gymnazium Ludvika Danka) gave the Broncs a 51-50 lead with a drive and basket.

After a stop on the defensive end, junior Lexi Posset (Pittsburgh, PA/Beaver Area) knocked down a pair of free throws to give Rider a three-point edge at 53-50 with four seconds left.

Following a timeout, Manhattan had a pair of chances, but sophomore Lea Favre (Vevey, Switzerland, Lycee Jeanne d'Arc) blocked one shot out of rebounds and sophomore Stella Johnson (Denville, NJ/Morris Catholic) gabbed a defensive rebound on the final shot of the game to seal the win.

Rider struggled offensively in the first half, connecting on just 6-of-28 field goals during the opening 20 minutes. The Broncs would score the final basket of the second quarter courtesy of jumper from Favre to trail by eight at 23-15 heading into halftime.

Manhattan led, 12-9, after the first quarter and held Rider to just four points in the second frame. Defense kept Rider in the game early on as the Broncs forced 10 first-half Manhattan turnovers, while committing just four miscues of their own.

NOTES & QUOTES
"I thought defensively we executed our game plan really well. It was a grind it out win between two teams with a lot on the line. Both teams really got after it today.  A huge step for us as a team to win a game like this that has a lot of meaning on the road. I'm extremely happy with our grit and determination." – Rider Head Coach Lynn Milligan

"Stella is one of the most competitive kids I've ever coached. She refuses to lose. She does whatever it takes to help the team win. She just made plays today and that's what great players do on the road. I don't know if it showed up on the stat sheet or not, but she had an unbelievable to will her team to victory." – Milligan on sophomore guard Stella Johnson

- Rider ends the regular season with a 5-4 record on the road in conference play.
- The win was fourth straight for the Broncs against the Jaspers.
- The victory was the first for Rider when the team was trailing at the half. The Broncs are now 1-11 overall and 1-5 in MAAC when trailing after 30 minutes.
- The Broncs had a season-high nine blocks in the win.
- Rider is now 2-5 overall and 2-2 in MAAC play in games decided by five points or fewer.
- The Broncs are 1-1 in overtime games this season. The overtime win was the first for the Broncs since December of 2015 at home against Lafayette.
- Rider was 14-of-20 at the free-throw line.

BRONCS BY THE NUMBERS
- Three Broncs scored in double figures led by Stella Johnson with 14 points. She also added eight rebounds, two assists, three steals and one block. Stella has recorded at least one blocked shot in 10 her last 11 games.
- Lexi Posset registered her first career double-double thanks to an 11-point, 10-rebound performance. It was her second game this season with 10 or more rebounds. At the free-throw line, she hit 4-of-5.
- Kamila Hoskova finished with 12 points and eight rebounds. She also added three assists and two steals.    

UP NEXT
Rider will be the No. 5 seed in the upcoming MAAC Tournament and face fourth-seeded Fairfield on Saturday, March 3 at 2:30 pm at the Times Union Center in Albany, New York. During the regular season, the Broncs and Stags split their two games.