BUFFALO, NY – Senior guard Stella Johnson (Denville, NJ/Morris Catholic) stuffed the stat sheet to lead the Rider University women's basketball team past host Canisius, 70-57, in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) action on Thursday evening inside the Koessler Athletic Center.
 
The Broncs (13-2, 6-0 MAAC) scored their 10th straight victory, while the Golden Griffins (2-14, 1-6 MAAC) suffered their fifth setback in a row.
 
Stella finished with 33 points, 10 rebounds, seven steals and five assists. It was her third straight double-double and her fourth of the season.
 
Clinging to a five-point lead after 30 minutes, the Rider defense puts the clamps on in the fourth quarter. The Broncs held Canisius to just 11 percent (1-of-9) shooting over the final 10 minutes to pull away. Rider forced seven turnovers in the fourth quarter to stretch its lead to double digits.
 
Senior Amari Johnson (Red Lion, PA/Dallastown) and classmate Lea Favre (Vevey, Switzerland/Lycee Jeanne D'Arc) were the other Broncs in double figures. Amari had her MAAC-leading ninth double-double of the season with a 12-point, 10-rebound performance, while Lea chipped in 10 points.
 
NOTES & QUOTES
"I thought we did a much better job in the second half defensively. We had some more productive switches, we rebounded better and we had a better flow." – Rider Head Coach Lynn Milligan
 
"Amanda is really important for our team. She's a sophomore point guard playing with a bunch of seniors. They trust her and want her on the floor with them. She's a big key to the pace we want to play." – Milligan on Mobley
 
"It's fantastic to coach Stella and privilege to be around her every day. She works so hard. Her sole focus is that this team just wins. I think you saw a lot of her great leadership qualities tonight. She has a great sense for the game." – Milligan on Stella
 
- Rider has now won three games in a row in Buffalo versus Canisius.
- The Broncs have won five of the last six games against the Griffs.
- Rider starts MAAC play 6-0 for the second consecutive season and just the second time in program history.
- The 10-game winning streak is the best for the Broncs since the team reeled off 11 victories in a row during the 1981-82 season while competing in the NJAIAW Division II.
- Rider is 9-1 this year when a player records a double-double.
- The Broncs are 11-0 this season when three or more players score in double figures.
- Rider forced 21 turnovers.
- On Tuesday, Rider was ranked ninth in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top-25 Poll. It is the highest ranking for the team in program history.
 
BRONCS BY THE NUMBERS
- Stella Johnson became the 19th player in MAAC women's basketball history to score 1,800 career points. She currently has a program-record 1,830 points and counting. All four of her double-doubles this season have come in conference play. The seven steals for Stella were a season-high. It was her third game with five or more steals this year.
- Lea Favre has scored in double figures in nine of her last 10 games. She also added six rebounds.
- As a team, Rider had seven blocked shots.
- Daija Moses had six points, three rebounds and two steals off the bench.
 
UP NEXT
Rider closes out its two-game western New York road swing on Saturday, January 25, with an afternoon matinee against Niagara. Opening tip is slated for 1:00 pm as the Broncs are looking to complete the regular-season sweep of the Purple Eagles.