LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – Dimencio Vaughn (New York, NY/Callaway/The Masters School) posted a team-high 15 points, six rebounds and five steals as the Rider University men's basketball team erased an 11-point deficit to defeat Saint Peter's, 70-66, Friday night at Alumni Gymnasium. With the win, the Broncs snap a two-game losing skid to improve to 10-8 (4-4 MAAC), while the Peacocks fall to 6-10 (3-4 MAAC).

Saint Peter's used a 13-2 first-half run to create the 11-point cushion just past the midway point of the period. Rider gradually whittled the deficit down to three on a Willy Nuñez, Jr. (Orlando, FL/Oak Ridge [Florida International]) jumper while being fouled with 37 seconds left in the half, before settling for a four-point deficit at the break.

The Peacocks pushed their lead back to nine twice in the second half and their advantage remained eight with 9:53 left. A 6-0 run whittled the Broncs' deficit down to two and a pair of Vaughn free throws with 5:53 left tied the game at 58-58. After four-straight points from Cameron Jones put Saint Peter's back on top by four, Frederick Scott (Munster, IN/Simeon [DePaul]) converted a three-point play for his 1,000^th career point, cutting the Peacocks' lead to one, before a pair of Christian Ings (Philadelphia, PA/Neumann-Goretti) free throws at the 4:25 mark gave Rider its first lead since 4-3.

Saint Peter's grabbed the lead back twice more before Stevie Jordan's (Bensalem, PA/Conwell-Egan/API) three-pointer from the right wing gave Rider a 67-66 lead with 1:36 remaining and the Rider defense didn't allow another point. Jordan made 1-of-2 free throws with 14 seconds left, before Tyrei Randall's (Aurora, CO/St. Thomas More) two free throws with two seconds left iced the game.

Quotes & Notes
"It wasn't pretty, but we found a way to win. We made some free throws down the stretch. We've got to execute better. Too many turnovers. Too many empty possessions. We need to execute better and defend better. But all of that being said, I'm happy that we won. We can get better from there."

"The fact that (Scott) is the fourth 1,000-point scorer that we have in our program at this point is a credit to our coaches in their recruiting and a credit to these guys that come in and get better throughout their four years. And that's what it's all about – player development." – Rider Head Coach Kevin Baggett

- With 13 points tonight, Scott became the 40^th Rider men's basketball player all-time to score 1,000 career points, joining current teammates Jordan, Vaughn and Tyere Marshall (Philadelphia, PA/Martin Luther King/Putnam Science) in achieving the feat.
- Rider is one of only two NCAA Division I teams that currently has four 1,000-point scorers, joining Richmond. While Richmond has a transfer that scored the bulk of his points at another school, all four of Rider's 1,000-point scorers compiled all of their points at their current school.
- Rider leads the all-time series with Saint Peter's, 38-30, including wins in each of the last three against the Peacocks.  
- Fresh off a season-high 12 points at Canisius, Kimar Williams (Philadelphia, PA/Constitution [Florida International]) got his first start since the second game of the season.
- The Broncs return to action Sunday, when they travel to Manhattan. Opening tip from
Draddy Gymnasium is scheduled for 2 p.m.  
 
Broncs by the Numbers
- Vaughn matched his career high with five steals, which he's accomplished three other times, most recently on Feb. 2, 2019, at Monmouth.
- For his career, Vaughn jumped into a tie for 10^th all-time at Rider with 136 career steals (Ed Titus).
- Jordan scored 12 points to push his career total to 1,326, jumping two spots on Rider's all-time scoring list into 21^st. He passed Harris Mansell (1,317) and Derrick Lamar (1,325).
- Randall scored a career-high 12 points on 3-of-5 shooting, including 2-of-3 from long range and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line.
- Nuñez, Jr. also contributed eight points on 2-of-4 shooting from the floor and 1-of-2 from long range. He hit 3-of-4 free-throw attempts.
- Rider was outrebounded for just the fourth time this season, with Saint Peter's taking a 33-22 edge on the glass.
- The Broncs forced 22 Saint Peter's turnovers.
- Rider took a 25-8 advantage in fast-break scoring.
- The Broncs outshot Saint Peter's, 48.9 percent (22-45) to 40.0 percent (20-50) from the floor, including a 57.1 percent (8-14) to 35.7 percent (10-28) advantage from long range. Rider also outshot Saint Peter's, 57.9 percent (11-19) to 40.0 percent (10-25), in the second half.
- The Peacocks took an 88.9 percent (16-18) to 78.3 percent (18-23) edge from the free-throw line.