LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – Three Rider University women's basketball players earned All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) honors as announced by the league office on Monday afternoon in a conference call with coaches and media members.
 
Senior guard Stella Johnson (Denville, NJ/Morris Catholic) was a unanimous selection to the First Team, while classmates Amari Johnson (Red Lion, PA/Dallastown) and Lea Favre (Vevey, Switzerland/Lycee Jeanne D'Arc) both landed on the Second Team.
 
"We are so proud of Stella, Amari and Lea for the recognition they have received from the MAAC," Rider Head Coach Lynn Milligan said. "They are deserving, hardworking and determined young women who put their team and its success above all.  Personally I have had the opportunity to watch them grow into strong women and could not be more proud to be their coach."
 
Stella Johnson was a unanimous selection to the All-MAAC First Team for the second year in a row. She earned end of the year accolades from the conference for the fourth straight year after landing on the Second Team in 2017-18 and the All-Rookie Team as a freshman. Stella leads the nation in scoring with 24.4 points per game this season. She also leads the MAAC in both steals per game with 2.9 and minutes per game at 37.0. Consistently stuffing the stat sheet, she also ranks in the top-six in the MAAC in rebounding (7.4 RPG), field-goal percentage (.466), free-throw percentage (.798) and assists per game (3.8). All eight of her double-doubles this year have come in MAAC play and on February 29 she recorded her second career triple-double.   
 
"Stella has been on a mission from the day she stepped onto this campus," Milligan noted. "She is a winner in every sense of the word. She is selfless and humble and this program and its success is her mission. She has grown and her game has grown to the ultimate level. How? Through hard work. She out works everyone – everyday."
 
Amari Johnson picked up Second Team All-MAAC honors for the second year in a row. Amari is the only player in the MAAC averaging a double-double this season thanks to her 11.4 points per game and 10.8 rebounds per game. She has registered a MAAC-leading 15 double-doubles this season. Versus Monmouth on Saturday, her buzzer beater helped Rider claim its first-ever MAAC Regular Season Championship and the top seed in the upcoming MAAC Basketball Championships.  
 
"Amari has taken her game to another level this season," Milligan added. "She is a double-double machine and takes pride in doing the little things to make her team successful. She defends and rebounds at a high level and that has taken her offensive game to a high level. She has become a complete player."
 
Lea Favre garnered postseason distinction from the MAAC for the first time this year. In her third year with the Broncs, Favre is averaging a career-best 11.8 points per game. She ranks third in the MAAC in field-goal percentage thanks to hitting 51.4 percent of her shots from the field. Favre is also the program's all-time leader in field-goal percentage, thanks to knocking down over 51 percent of her shots over the last 91 games. She scored 20 or more points in a game twice this season as she helped the Broncs beat both Marist and Canisius in those contests.  
 
"Lea has always been our X-Factor," Milligan said. "I am thrilled she is finally being recognized for the hard work she has put in for this program. She is a perfect complement to our offense, understands her role and performs it at a high level every day. She plays with a tremendous level of determination and competitiveness."
 
The top-seeded Broncs open their quest for a MAAC title on Wednesday, March 11. Rider will face the winner of Tuesday's showdown between No. 8 Niagara and No. 9 Saint Peter's in the MAAC Championship Quarterfinals.