ALBANY, NY – The second-seeded Rider University women's basketball team fell to No. 3 seed Marist, 62-52, in the 2019 MAAC Championship Semifinals.

The Broncs (19-12) fell in the MAAC Semifinals for the second straight season, while the Red Foxes (23-9) snapped a two-game losing streak against Rider to advance to the MAAC Championship game for the second year in a row.

Rider used a big run stretching from the third quarter to start of the fourth to erase a 15-point and tie the game. The Broncs opened the fourth with three straight points courtesy of driving lay-up from junior guard Stella Johnson (Denville, NJ/Morris Catholic) and a free-throw from Stella.

Marist would never surrender their lead. Midway through the final frame, Rider junior Lea Favre (Vevey, Switzerland/Lycee Jeanne D'Arc) scored in the post off a feed from Stella to tie the game at 45.

The Red Foxes would answer with an 11-0 run to take a 56-45 lead with just over two minutes left in the game. The game of runs saw Rider cut the deficit to five at 56-51 following a pair of free throw from Stella.

Down the stretch, the Red foxes hit their free throws to pull away.

Stella was one of three Broncs in double figures as she finished with a game-high 24 points four rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal. Senior point guard Lexi Posset (Pittsburgh, PA/Beaver Area) poured in 13 points and Favre added 10 points for Rider.

NOTES & QUOTES
"First of all, congratulations to Marist. All three of our games this year with them went down to the wire. I'm really proud of the effort from our team. We had a couple of let downs defensively in the first quarter that hurt us. The resiliency of this team was evident today and they've shown it all year. We just didn't get it done at the end." – Rider Head Coach Lynn Milligan said.

- Rider has won at least one game at the MAAC Tournament in each of the last three seasons.
- If Quinnipiac defeats Marist in the MAAC Championship on Monday, then the Broncs will receive the league's automatic bid to the WNIT.
- Rider committed just nine turnovers and forced 17 Marist miscues. It marked the first time this year the Broncs have lost a game when their opponents committed more turnovers.
- Marist did not attempt a free throw through the first three quarters. They went 10-of-11 at the line in the fourth.
- The Red Foxes outscored Rider, 12-5, in the first quarter en route to taking a 29-19 lead into halftime.
- In the first quarter, the Broncs were 2-of-14 in the first quarter.
- Rider was 5-of-9 from three-point range in the third quarter as they outscored Marist, 17-10.