RIVERDALE, NY – Dwight Murray, Jr. (Austell, GA/Pebblebrook [Incarnate Word]) filled the stat sheet with 20 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists as the Rider University men's basketball team earned an 82-64 road victory to open MAAC play Friday night at Manhattan. With the win, the Broncs improve to 1-2 (1-0 MAAC), while the Jaspers opened the season at 0-1 (0-1 MAAC).

The Broncs jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the early going and extended the lead to eight, 12-4, on a Tyrel Bladen (Coatesville, PA/Coatesville) three-point play at the 12:26 mark. The Jaspers gradually whittled away at the lead until Ant Nelson's three-pointer gave Manhattan its first lead at 21-20 at the 8:07 mark. 11 lead changes ensued in the following minutes before an 8-0 Rider run sparked by consecutive Rodney Henderson, Jr. (Carson, CA/Avon Old Farms [CSUN]) three-pointers pushed Rider ahead for good. The Broncs enjoyed a 43-38 lead at the half. Murray led the Broncs, who outrebounded Manhattan, 29-13, in the period, with 12 points, 12 rebounds and four assists.

A 13-3 Rider run to open the second half pushed the Broncs' lead to 15, 56-41. Five different Broncs scored in the run, led by four points from Murray. Manhattan would draw no closer than to within 10 as Rider built a lead of as many as 21.

Quotes & Notes
"Proud of our guys. Finally got in the win column. Thought it was a great team effort. Still got a long way
to go, but a good start for us in league play."

"He's just a gamer, man. He's just a kid who shows up every day. He does the same things in practice. I'm not surprised by anything he's doing because that's the those are the things he's showing us in practice all year long so far." – Rider Head Coach Kevin Baggett

"I fit right in. As soon as I got here, I was watching film with Coach Baggs in the summer, just seeing how the offense was and I fell in love with the Rider way. He just told me if he could trust me and I could trust him, then I could be that glue guy for the team. My teammates helped me a lot with that, just being there, finishing shots and playing hard with me. I love my team for sure." – Rider junior guard Dwight Murray, Jr.

- Rider leads the all-time series with Manhattan, 33-24. The Broncs swept the 2019-20 season series with the Jaspers and have won three-straight games over Manhattan.
- The Broncs are 12-6 against the Jaspers overall under Head Coach Kevin Baggett, including a 5-4 mark at Draddy Gym.  
- Rider is 6-3 in MAAC openers under Baggett, including wins in each of the last three.
- All nine Broncs who played scored at least two points.
- Christian Ings (Philadelphia, PA/Neumann-Goretti) returned following a one-game absence due to injury.
 
Broncs by the Numbers
- Murray scored at least 19 points for his third-straight game with 20 tonight. His 15 rebounds nearly doubled his previous career high of eight at Incarnate Word. His seven assists were one off his career high. Murray did his damage on 7-of-13 shooting, including 2-of-3 from long distance and 4-for-4 from the free-throw line.
- Ings scored 14 points in his return, one off of his career high of 15, set last year at Canisius. He also added five rebounds and a team-high three steals.
- Henderson finished with 13 points on 4-of-8 shooting, including connections on all three of his three-point attempts. He also grabbed five rebounds.
- Bladen upped his career high to 11 a game after scoring a career-high 10 points at St. John's. He also set new career highs in rebounds (9) and blocks (3).
- Ajiri Ogemuno-Johnson (Lansdowne, PA/Monsignor Bonner) chipped in with eight points, while Dontrell McQuarter (Baton Rouge, LA/Believe Prep [Hinds C.C.]) added seven points.
- Rider shot a season-high 50.8 percent (30-59) to Manhattan's 34.4 percent (22-64). The Broncs made 6-of-9 three-point attempts (66.7 percent) to the Jaspers' 31.0 percent (9-29). Rider made 16-of-23 free-throw attempts (69.6 percent).
- The Broncs handily outrebounded the Jaspers, 47-28, controlling the defensive glass, 33-17.   
- Rider outscored Manhattan, 34-22, in the paint.