Women's Basketball
Game 16
Saturday, January 25, 2020 at 1:00 pm
Rider Broncs (13-2, 6-0 MAAC) at Niagara Purple Eagles (6-10, 4-3 MAAC)
Location: Niagara University, NY (Tapps Gallagher Center)
Tip: 1:00 pm
Live Stats: GoBroncs.com
Live Video: ESPN+
How To Access ESPN+: Click here
Twitter: @RiderWBB
Game Notes: Game 16
 
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
- All remaining Rider basketball games in 2019-20 will air on ESPN+ or ESPN3.
 
- The Purple Eagles enter Saturday afternoon's matinee with a 6-10 overall record and a 4-3 mark in MAAC play after defeating Saint Peter's, 97-89, on Thursday. Niagara has won three games in a row and four of its last five. The 97-point outburst on Thursday was the highest scoring total for the team since December of 2004. Offensively, Niagara is led by Preseason All-MAAC First Team honoree Jai Moore. Moore is averaging over 16 points per game this season. In the first meeting between the two teams, Niagara hit nine three-pointers. Maggie McIntyre had 18 points against Rider earlier this season thanks to hitting 6-of-9 from three-point range. As a team, the Purple Eagles are registering over nine steals per game.
 
- Niagara leads the all-time series with Rider, 26-23. The Broncs have had the edge of late thanks to winning each of the last two meetings. Rider has won six of the last seven meetings between the two teams.
 
- Last time out, Stella Johnson did a little bit of everything as Rider defeated Canisius, 70-57, on Thursday in Buffalo. 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. 
 
- Rider is 13-2 for the first time joining Division I prior to the 1982-83 season. The previous-best 15-game start to a season for the Broncs was in both 1993-94 and 2016-17 when the squad started 11-4.  
 
- Rider is in the midst of a 10-game winning streak. It is the second time this season that the Broncs have reeled off more than three straight victories. The 10-game winning streak marks the most consecutive wins for Rider since the team had a program-record for 11 consecutive wins during the 1981-82 season. In 1981-82 the team competed in the NJAIAW Division II.  
- Rider is 6-0 this season in games decided by five points or fewer. The Broncs have scored the game-winning basket with under 10 seconds to play in two of their 12 wins this season.
 
- Rider has started MAAC play 6-0 for the second year in a row and just the second time in program history. Dating back to last season, the Broncs have won nine straight regular-season conference contests. Rider has never opened conference play 7-0.
 
- Following the 64-57 win over Xavier in mid-November, Rider moved into CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top-25 Poll. The Broncs are currently ranked ninth in the poll. The ninth ranking is the highest-ever for Rider in the poll. Last week the team was ranked 14th before beating both Marist and Siena.  
 
- On November 26, Stella Johnson was named the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) Ann Meyers Drysdale Women's National Player of the Week. It marked the first time in program history that a Bronc was named the USBWA National Player of the Week and also the first time a player from the MAAC picked up the weekly accolade as well. Stella is one of just two active players in all of Division I, along with Princeton's Bella Alarie, to be have earned both USBWA National Player of the Week and USBWA National Freshman of the Week honors in their careers.
 
- Senior guard Stella Johnson set a single-game program record with 41 points in the victory over Lipscomb on November 22. The previous record for points in game by a Bronc was 37 by both MyNeshia McKenzie and Nancy Carroll. She was the first player in the MAAC to score over 40 points since Victoria Rampado had 41 against Siena in January of 2018.
 
- Stella Johnson became the first player in program history to earn MAAC Preseason Player of the Year honors. Stella was also a unanimous selection to the Preseason All-MAAC First Team. Two other Broncs picked up preseason accolades as senior Amari Johnson landed on the Preseason All-MAAC Second Team and classmate Lea Favre earned Preseason All-MAAC Third Team distinction.  
 
- Senior Stella Johnson was named to the Women's Citizen Naismith Trophy Watch List as announced by the Atlanta Tipoff Club on November 6th. Johnson is one of 50 players in the nation and just two players from mid-major programs to earn a spot on the list. In late October, Johnson was also named one of 20 watch-list candidates for the 2020 Nancy Lieberman Award as announced by The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA). She was also named to the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Watch List by the USBWA on December 5.