LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – 10 different Broncs scored points, but the Rider University men's basketball team fell to intrastate foe NJIT, 81-66, Wednesday afternoon at Alumni Gymnasium. With the loss, the Broncs fall to 1-6, while the Highlanders even their record at 1-1.
After Rider scored four of the first six points in the game, NJIT responded with a 23-4 run to build a 15-point lead prior to the midway point in the first half. A 10-2 Rider run, capped by a second-chance jumper from
Dontrell McQuarter (Baton Rouge, LA/Believe Prep [Hinds C.C.]) at the 3:53 mark, cut the NJIT advantage to 27-20 and the Broncs trailed by 10, 33-23, at the half.
The Highlanders opened the second half with a 9-0 run to build a lead the Broncs couldn't overcome. Rider drew to within 13 points twice, while NJIT built its lead to as many as 25 points at the 8:42 mark.
Quotes & Notes
"There weren't very many areas that I could even say that we were very good today. It starts with me. We've just got to get better. We're going to show up tomorrow and go back to work on breaking everything down. We've got too many guys doing their own thing. We're not playing as a team, we're playing as individuals. We're certainly not playing any defense. It's embarrassing."
– Rider Head Coach Kevin Baggett
- Rider and NJIT were meeting for the eighth time, with the first four games being played in the mid-1950's, when NJIT was known as Newark Engineering College. The teams split those four meetings and are now tied at 4-4. The last three meetings took place between 2005-06 and 2008-09, when the Broncs took two of three.
- Freshman
Jordan Smalls (Jonesboro, GA/Eagle's Landing Christian Academy) made his first collegiate appearance for the Broncs and scored nine points in less than 10 minutes.
- Fellow freshman
R.J. Weise (Allentown, NJ/Allentown) also made his collegiate debut. Weise is the son of four-year Rider letterwinner Rich Weise '82.
- 10 of 13 Rider players to enter the game scored points.
Broncs by the Numbers
- McQuarter scored a team-high 10 points and grabbed seven rebounds. He made 5-of-13 field-goal attempts.
- Smalls added nine points on 2-of-2 shooting, with both attempts coming beyond the three-point arc. He also made 3-of-4 free throws.
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Ajiri Ogemuno-Johnson (Lansdowne, PA/Monsignor Bonner),
Jeremiah Pope (Clinton, NC/Clinton [Brunswick C.C.]) and
Allen Powell (Philadelphia, PA/La Salle College H.S.) also added eight points apiece.
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Tyrel Bladen (Coatesville, PA/Coatesville) grabbed a team-high nine rebounds, matching his career high. He also scored six points.
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Christian Ings (Philadelphia, PA/Neumann-Goretti) scored seven points and grabbed a career-high eight rebounds.
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Dwight Murray, Jr. (Austell, GA/Pebblebrook [Incarnate Word]) dished out a team-high four assists.
- NJIT outshot the Broncs, 50.0 percent (25-50) to 36.6 percent (26-71) from the floor, including a 50.0 percent (10-20) to 37.5 percent (6-16) advantage from long range.
- The Broncs (80.0 percent) shot a higher percentage from the free-throw line than NJIT (70.0 percent), but had 20 fewer attempts than the Highlanders (30-10).
- Rider outrebounded NJIT, 42-31, and took a 25-12 advantage in second-chance points.
