West Long Branch, NJ – A second-half rally fell short for the Rider University women's basketball team on Saturday afternoon as the Broncs fell to Monmouth, 63-56, at the OceanFirst Bank Center in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) action.

Rider (9-14, 6-6 MAAC) saw its three-game winning streak against the Hawks come to an end, while Monmouth (6-15, 4-6 MAAC) snapped a two-game conference skid with the victory.

Senior Kamila Hoskova (Brno, Czech Republic/Sportovni Gymnazium Ludvika Danka) and sophomore guard Stella Johnson (Denville, NJ/Morris Catholic) led the offensive charge once again for the guests. Stella finished with a game-high 18 points on an efficient 7-of-10 shooting from the field, while Hoskova added 12 points thanks to going 8-of-10 at the free-throw line.

After Rider scored the first points of the game the Hawks answered with a 10-0 run and closed the opening quarter on a 24-6 spurt to lead by 16 after 10 minutes. During the first quarter, the Broncs shot just 17 percent (3-of-17) and committed four turnovers.

The Broncs cut the deficit to 13 heading into the half thanks to holding the Hawks to just 10 points in the second quarter. Monmouth took a 34-21 lead into halftime in large part due to outscoring Rider, 18-8, in the paint.

Rider scored the first seven points of the third to quarter to cut the deficit to just six, but the Hawks responded with a run of their own. The Broncs would score the final three points of the frame to trail 44-35 heading into the fourth.

Down the stretch, the Broncs cut the deficit to as little as six once again. The visitors were unable to break through and Monmouth hit their free throws to hold on for the conference triumph.

NOTES & QUOTES
"We didn't execute well today. We battled back, like we always do, but today it wasn't enough. Having Kammy on the bench early with the two fouls affected our offense, but when your number is called you need to step up. We are still a work in progress. We need to keep working." – Rider Head Coach Lynn Milligan

- Rider outscored Monmouth, 48-39, over the final 30 minutes of play.
- The Broncs shot 31.1 percent (19-61) from the field.
- Rider shot just over 68 percent (13-of-19) from the free-throw line.
- Rider hit 5-of-20 from three-point range.
- The Broncs had a 1-to-1 assist to turnover ratio with 12 dimes and 12 giveaways.
- Rider forced 19 Monmouth turnovers. It was the 14th game in which the Broncs forced 17 or more turnovers.
- Rider is 0-6 in MAAC place when their opponents score more than 60 points.

BRONCS BY THE NUMBERS
- Jaiden Morris had a career-high six steals for the Broncs. She also scored three points.
- Stella also had six rebounds, five assists and two blocks. It marked her fifth straight game with at least one blocked shot.
- Lea Favre had eight points and eight rebounds for the Broncs.
- Hoskova also had six rebounds and three steals.
- Lexi Posset had four assists, five rebounds, one block and two steals for Rider.

UP NEXT
Rider returns home on Friday, February 9 taking on hOUR glass rival Saint Peter's at 7:00 pm inside Alumni Gymnasium. The Broncs are looking for the season sweep against the Peacocks after topping SPU, 57-52, earlier this year in Jersey City. 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.