PRINCETON, NJ – The Rider University women's basketball team opened the 2019-20 season with an 80-47 setback on the road against regional rival Princeton on Tuesday night at Jadwin Gymnasium.
 
The Broncs (0-1) dropped their second straight season opener to the Tigers (1-0).
 
Princeton broke open a close game by outscoring Rider, 27-11, during the third quarter. In the frame, Bronc senior guard Stella Johnson (Denville, NJ/Morris Catholic) had nine of Rider's points.
 
Offensively, Stella paced the Rider attack with a game-high 22 points. Classmate Amari Johnson (Red Lion, PA/Dallastown) was the other Bronc in double figures with 14 points to go along with six rebounds and two blocks.
 
The Broncs battled to the final whistle, knocking down all six of their free-throw attempts over the final 10 minutes.
 
NOTES & QUOTES
"Fundamentally we were off in the first quarter and we cost ourselves a lot of possessions with silly turnovers that can't happen with a veteran team. I thought we played well enough in the first 20 minutes. Their third quarter was excellent. They made some good adjustments." – Rider Head Coach Lynn Milligan
 
- Rider was 7-of-11 at the free-throw line.
- The Broncs knocked down over 42 percent (6-of-14) of their shots from three-point range.
- Rider committed 22 turnovers. The Tigers had 18 second-chance points in the contest, while the Broncs had zero.
- In the second quarter, Rider shot better than 62 percent (5-of-8) from the field.
 
BRONCS BY THE NUMBERS
- Stella opened the year with a 20-point performance for the second season in a row. She knocked down 9-of-18 shots from the field, including 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. Stella also added one steal and one block.
- Amari knocked down two shots from three-point range and both of her free-throw attempts.
- Freshmen Sophia DeMaurio, Victoria Toomey, Maya Hyacienth and Lauren Saa all made their debuts for the Broncs.
- Toomey scored her first collegiate points with a free throw in the second quarter.
 
UP NEXT
Rider returns to action on Sunday, November 10, with a road contest against Penn State that is scheduled to get underway at 2:00 pm. The two teams are playing for the first time since December of 2014 as Rider is looking for its first in University Park.