KISSIMMEE, FL – Senior guard Stella Johnson (Denville, NJ/Morris Catholic) scored a game-high 39 points, but it was not enough as the Rider University women's basketball team fell to North Florida, 80-70, as part of the MAAC/ASUN Challenge on Saturday afternoon at the HP Field House.
 
The Broncs (3-2) saw their three-game winning streak come to an end while the Ospreys (4-3) won for the third time in their last four games.
 
The back-and-forth contest saw 20 lead changes.
 
With Rider leading, 52-50, early in the fourth, North Florida scored on old-fashioned three-point plays on two consecutive possessions and had a chance for three in a row, but missed the free throw. The surge gave the Ospreys a 58-54 lead and they would not trail for the remainder of the contest.
 
A day after setting the single-game scoring record, Stella Johnson poured in the second-most points in a single game in Rider history.
 
Senior Amari Johnson (Red Lion, PA/Dallastown) was the other Bronc in double figures with 11 points. Amari also pulled down a season-high 14 rebounds to register her second double-double of the season.  
 
NOTES & QUOTES
"Obviously,  it's a disappointing loss, but give North Florida credit. They did a great job keeping us off balance on offense and defensively we needed to be better as a unit. It was another great performance by Stella. We have two weeks to continue to learn and grow before we play again." – Rider Head Coach Lynn Milligan
 
- The contest marked the first-ever meeting between Rider and North Florida.
- The game was part of the 2019 MAAC/ASUN Challenge.
- North Florida shot 51.1 percent from the field and the Broncs hit just over 30 percent of their shots from the field.
- Rider committed fewer turnovers than their opponent for the second game in a row. The Broncs committed 16 and forced 19 North Florida miscues.
- The Ospreys outscored Rider 31-22 in the fourth quarter. The 31 points is the most points the Broncs have surrendered in a single quarter this season.
- Over the final 10 minutes, Rider shot 6-of-18 from the field and North Florida hit over 71 percent (10-of-14) of its shots.
- After averaging 40 points, six rebounds, four steals and two assists per game, Stella Johnson was named the MVP of the MAAC/ASUN Challenge.
- On Monday, Stella Johnson was named both the MAAC Player of the Week and the College Sports Madness MAAC Player of the Week.
 
BRONCS BY THE NUMBERS
- Stella Johnson was 11-of-25 shooting. She knocked down 15-of-17 free-throw attempts. She also added a season-high steals to go along with two assists and four rebounds. Over the last two games, she has hit 32-of-35 free-throw attempts.
- Amari had her second double-double of the year and the seventh of her career. Eight of her 14 rebounds came on the offensive end.
- Off the bench, Lea Favre (Vevey, Switzerland/Lycee Jeanne d'Arc) and Lexi Stover (Malvern, PA/Archbishop Carroll) both had four points apiece for Rider.
- Daija Moses (Toronto, Ontario/Henry Street) was 2-of-3 from the field. She had six points, grabbed three rebounds and registered two steals.
 
UP NEXT
Rider returns to action on Saturday, December 7, with a home non-conference showdown against La Salle. Opening tip against the Explorers is scheduled for 2:00 pm.