NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, NY – Dwight Murray, Jr. (Austell, GA/Pebblebrook [Incarnate Word]) scored a team-high 17 points and Ajiri Ogemuno-Johnson (Lansdowne, PA/Monsignor Bonner) posted his first-career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, but the Rider University men's basketball team fell at Niagara, 66-55, Saturday evening at the Gallagher Center. With the loss, the two teams split the weekend series. Rider moves to 3-8 (3-5 MAAC), while the Purple Eagles are now 5-5 (4-4 MAAC).

Niagara took an early 10-4 lead before Rider later used a 9-2 run to take its first lead of the game, 17-15. After Niagara retook the lead, the Broncs scored seven-straight, capped by an Allen Powell (Philadelphia, PA/La Salle College H.S.) three with 4:18 to go in the half to push the advantage to five. A Dwight Murray, Jr. (Austell, GA/Pebblebrook [Incarnate Word]) three-pointer ended the first-half scoring and sent the Broncs to the locker room with a 29-23 lead. Murray led the Broncs with 10 first-half points.

Rider led in the second half until just past the midway point of the period. Niagara used a 7-0 run and extended the lead to four, 48-44, with 8:47 left.  Still a two-point game following two Christian Ings (Philadelphia, PA/Neumann-Goretti) free throws with 4:29 left, Niagara scored the next seven points to create too much of a cushion for the Broncs to overcome.

Quotes & Notes
"Guys overhelping. Guys getting dribbled all the way to the basket. Guys chasing non-shooters. Poor effort defensively, especially in the second half."

"I think it compounds things when you're not scoring today and you've got to go down and be really good defensively to try to continue to give yourself a chance. There were some plays in the game that I'd like to have back and I wish we could finish and make free throws, which we did last night." – Rider Head Coach Kevin Baggett

- Rider leads the all-time series with Niagara, 28-24. The Broncs had won five of the last six against the Purple Eagles.  
- The two teams split the series for the second-straight season.  
- Rider has now split each of its three weekend MAAC road series, taking the first game before falling in the second in all three series.
- Ogemuno-Johnson's double-double was the Broncs' second of the season, following Murray's 20-point, 15-rebound performance at Manhattan on Dec. 11.
 
Broncs by the Numbers
- Murray and Ogemuno-Johnson each shot 4-of-10 from the floor. Murray connected on 3-of-7 three-point attempts and all six of his free-throw attempts. Ogemuno-Johnson also made both of his attempts from the free-throw line.
- Ogemuno-Johnson's 10 rebounds set a new career high, eclipsing the nine rebounds he had a week ago at Fairfield.
- Jeremiah Pope (Clinton, NC/Clinton [Brunswick C.C.]) added a season-high 10 points off the bench, making 4-of-8 attempts from the floor to go along with a pair of free throws made.
- Ings finished with a team-best four assists.
- Niagara outshot the Broncs, 41.8 percent (23-55) to 35.2 percent (19-54) from the floor. After Rider took a 42.3 percent (11-26) to 29.4 percent (10-34) edge in the first half, Niagara outshot the Broncs, 61.9 percent (13-21) to 28.6 percent (8-28) in the second half.
- The Broncs took a 35-33 edge on the glass.
- Niagara outscored the Broncs, 34-22, in the paint and 17-4 in fast-break points.