LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – Senior Stella Johnson (Denville, NJ/Morris Catholic) scored 29 points in the second half to lead the Rider University women's basketball team past visiting Niagara, 79-75, in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) action on Thursday night at Alumni Gymnasium.
 
The Broncs (8-2, 1-0 MAAC) won their fifth straight game, while the Purple Eagles (2-8, 0-1 MAAC) have now dropped three of their last four contests.
 
Johnson poured in 18 of her game-high 31 points in the fourth quarter as Rider erased a nine-point halftime deficit.
 
With three minutes left in regulation, sophomore guard Amanda Mobley (Coopersburg, PA/Southern Lehigh) knocked down a trey off a feed from Stella to give the Broncs a 66-65 edge. Back-and-forth the two squads would go, trading buckets over the next four possessions.
 
With the score knotted at 70 with just over a minute left, Stella drove to the basket to give Rider a lead it would not relinquish. After a stop, Stella got to the rim once again to give the hosts a 74-70 lead with 20 seconds left.
 
The Broncs converted on 5-of-6 from the charity stripe in the last 14 seconds to hold on for the come-from-behind win.
 
Stella had her first double-double of the season thanks to a 31-point, 12-rebound performance. Senior Amari Johnson (Red Lion, PA/Dallastown) registered her third straight double-double thanks to scoring 10 points and pulling down a game-high 13 rebounds. Mobley was the other Bronc in double figures with 13 points to go along with a career-high nine assists.
 
NOTES & QUOTES
"Welcome to the MAAC. It was a good ball game. Both teams went on runs, particularly in the second half. We really executed down the stretch and Amanda and Stella both made plays. We were fortunate enough to come out with a win. We are just going to keep growing and keep on learning. This is one of 20 conference games and we are just going to keep on pushing forward." – Rider Head Coach Lynn Milligan
 
- Rider has won back-to-back games and six of the last seven against the Purple Eagles.
- The Broncs are 4-0 at home for the first time under Head Coach Lynn Milligan.
- Rider is 8-2 for the first time since the 1993-94 season. It ties the best 10-game start to a season since the Broncs joined Division I before the 1982-83. Rider was also 8-2 in 1982-83.
- Rider outscored Niagara by 13 in the second half.
- The Broncs scored 49 points and shot 47 percent (16-of-34) from the field in the second half.
 
BRONCS BY THE NUMBERS
- Stella Johnson tied the program's all-time scoring record in the win. She is now tied with Debbie Snyder for the most points in Rider history with 1,706. It was her fourth game this season with 30 or more points. She was 10-of-20 shooting from the field and she also had one steal and four assists.
- Amari Johnson leads the MAAC with six double-doubles this season. She also tied her career-high with four blocked shots. It was her fifth game this year with two or more blocked shots. She currently leads the MAAC in rebounding (10.3 RPG) and blocks (1.7 BPG).
- Amanda Mobley was an efficient 5-of-9 shooting from the field. She was 3-of-4 from three-point range, while the rest of the team was 0-for-11. She has 25 assists over her last four games.
- Rider had three players score in double figures for the fifth straight game and the sixth time this season.
- The Broncs are now 5-1 when a player registers a double-double this year. It was the first time more than one player recorded a double-double in 2019-20.
 
UP NEXT
Rider hits the road to square off with Iona in league play on Saturday, January 4. The Broncs have won seven straight games against the Gaels dating back to the 2016-17 season.