RIVERDALE, NY – Three different players scored in double figures as the visiting Rider University women's basketball team defeated Manhattan, 73-63, on Sunday afternoon in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) action inside Draddy Gymnasium.

The Broncs (10-7, 6-0 MAAC) remained unbeaten in MAAC play with their second consecutive double-digit victory, while the Jaspers (3-13, 1-4 MAAC) have now dropped four of their first five conference games this season.

Rider came out of the gates, shooting 56 percent (9-of-16) in the first quarter to lead by 11 at 23-12 after 10 minutes of action. The Broncs led throughout the contest, stretching their lead to as many as 21 at 35-14 midway through the second quarter following a three-pointer from junior Stella Johnson (Denville, NJ/Morris Catholic).

Manhattan would trim the Bronc lead to just at 58-53 with just over five minutes left in the fourth quarter. Rider responded with a quick 4-0 run to stretch the lead back to nine.

Stella and senior point guard Lexi Posset (Pittsburgh, PA/Beaver Area) paced the Bronc attack with 22 points apiece. Junior Lea Favre (Vevz, Switzerland/Lycee Jeanne d'Arc) chipped in 15 points on an efficient 7-of-11 shooting from the field.

NOTES & QUOTES
"We started the first and third quarters really strong today. Today our biggest mistake was letting our fouls take us out of rhythm. With the clock stopping all the time it was hard for us to find our flow. Manhattan is a good team offensively." – Rider Head Coach Lynn Milligan

"Stella's point today were tough ones. Manhattan guarded her hard. Stella always does whatever she has to do to help our team win. That's what she did again today. She had some good assists and handed the ball well. She's one of the best players in the league. She draws a lot of attention from opposing defenses. For her to continue to do what she's doing is a credit to her hard work." – Milligan

"The best thing right now is that we don't play again until Saturday. We're coming off a stretch where we played three games in five days. I'm really proud of our effort. To be 6-0 in the league with four of those wins coming on the road is tough." – Milligan

- Rider has now won six straight games against Manhattan.
- Rider is 6-0 in MAAC play for the first time under Head Coach Lynn Milligan and the first time in program history. The previous best six-game start for the Broncs was 5-1 during their historic 2016-17 campaign.
- The Broncs committed 15 turnovers and forced 19 Jasper miscues. Rider is 8-0 on the year and 5-0 in MAAC play when they commit fewer turnovers than their opponents.
- Rider dished out 20 assists on 25 made field goals. Rider is now 5-0 overall and 2-0 in conference play when they have more assists than turnovers in a game.
- It was their third game with over 20 assists as a team this season.
- The Broncs shot over 73 percent (14-of-19) from the foul line. The team made 9-of-10 from the charity stripe in the fourth quarter to help seal the win.  

BRONCS BY THE NUMBERS
- Stella Johnson shot 7-of-13 from the field, including 4-of-7 from three-point range. She also added six rebounds, seven assists and two steals. With her two steals she moved into a tie for second-place in program history with 221 career steals. She's also 12th in program history 1,164 career points.
- Posset scored a season-high 22 points. She hit 9-of-10 at the foul line and 3-of-7 from beyond the arc. She also added five rebounds, six assists and two steals.
- Favre scored in double figures for the second straight game. She also added four rebounds and one block.
- Amari Johnson dished out a career-high five assists for Rider. She also had five points, three rebounds and two steals.  

UP NEXT
Rider returns to home to battle with Canisius in MAAC play on Saturday, January 26. The contest is slated to get underway at 2:00 pm as the Broncs are in search of their fifth win in a row versus the Griffs after sweeping the regular-season series in each of the last two seasons.