LOUDONVILLE, NY – Juniors Stella Johnson (Denville, NJ/Morris Catholic) and Amari Johnson (Red Lion, PA/Dallastown) both scored in double figures to lead the Rider University women's basketball team past Siena, 55-52, on Sunday afternoon in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) action at Alumni Recreation Center.

The Broncs (7-7, 3-0 MAAC) won their third straight league game, while the Saints (7-8, 3-1 MAAC) saw their three-game winning streak come to an end.  

Stella and Amari combined to score 42 points on an impressive 47 percent (16-of-34) shooting from the field on Sunday. Stella poured in a game-high 25 points to go along with seven rebounds, four steals, three assists and three blocks. Amari scored in double figures for the third consecutive game and the eighth time this year as she netted 17 points, while grabbing six rebounds and recording four steals.

Rider erased an early deficit by holding Siena to just six points on 18 percent shooting (2-of-11) in the second quarter. The Broncs trailed by as many as seven, but outscored the Saints, 17-6, in the second quarter to take a six-point edge at 29-23 into the break.

The Broncs led for the entire second half, stretch their lead to as many as nine early in the third quarter following a trey from Stella. Siena would battle back and make it a one-point game at 53-52 with just over 90 seconds remaining in regulation. With a chance to take the lead late, the Saints turned the ball over and on the ensuing possession Rider senior point guard Lexi Posset (Pittsburgh, PA/Beaver Area) hit a pair of free throws to stretch the Bronc advantage to three.

On the last possession of the game, Siena had a look at a three. The Saints were unable convert and Rider escaped with the conference win.

NOTES & QUOTES
"It was pretty much what I expected. Every time we come up here it's a battle. We expected a physical game and knew we had to come up here and defend a really good team with a lot of scorers. For the most part we did just that. It's a road MAAC win. We'll take it." – Rider Head Coach Lynn Milligan

"We had our best switching defensive players in the game at the end. They understood what they had to do. They got a three off, but it was contested and we came down with it. Those are situations we practice a lot and I liked our execution." – Milligan

- Rider has now three of the last four meetings between the two teams. The Broncs avenged an overtime setback to the Saints last season at home with the win.
- The last five meetings between Rider and Siena have all been decided by four points or fewer. Rider has won three of those games (two at Siena).
- Rider is 3-0 in MAAC play for the first time under Head Coach Lynn Milligan and the first time in program history.
- The Broncs shot a season-best 90.9% (10-of-11) at the free-throw line. Siena shot 57 percent at the charity stripe, hitting 19-of-33.
- Rider had 15 steals in the game. It was the fifth game for the Broncs with 10 or more steals. They are 4-1 in such games.
- The Broncs tied a season-high with seven blocks in the game. It is their blocked shots against a MAAC opponent since the regular-season finale last year at Manhattan when they had nine blocks.  

BRONCS BY THE NUMBERS
- Stella also was 7-of-7 at the free-throw line for the Broncs. It was her sixth game this year with four or more steals. She also tied a season-high with three blocks. With her four steals she now has 215 in her career which is fifth in Rider women's basketball program history.
- Amari Johnson was 8-of-16 from the field. She tied a career-high with four steals. Both of games with four steals have come in MAAC play. Over the last three games, Amari has recorded 10 steals.
- Lea Favre pulled down six rebounds for Rider. It was her seventh game this year with six or more rebounds.

UP NEXT
Rider returns to action on Wednesday, January 16, with a road conference tilt at Iona that is slated to get underway at 7:00 pm. The Broncs have won four straight games against the Gaels thanks to sweeping the regular-season series in each of the last two seasons.