Women's Basketball
Thursday, November 11, 2021 at 7:00 pm
Rider Broncs at Penn State Nittany Lions
Location: University Park, PA (Bryce Jordan Center)
Tip: 7:00 pm
Live Video: B1G+
Live Stats: GoPSUSports.com
Twitter: @RiderWBB
Tickets: Ticketmaster.com
 
What You Need To Know
- Thursday's game will be broadcast on B1G+.
 
- The Broncs won their exhibition game over cross-town TCNJ, 68-42. Forward Raphaela Toussaint (Kingston, Ontario/Lincoln Prep) led the Broncs with a double-double scoring a game-high 20 points to go along with 12 boards. Senior guard Lenaejha Evans (Conway, SC/Conway [Pensacola State College]) had 15 points and eight boards off the bench.
 
- The Broncs and Nittany Lions have played three times before. Penn State took the first two match-ups in 2010 and 2014, but the Broncs won 78-70 when these teams last met in the 2019-20 season. Stella Johnson '20 led the Broncs with 25 points and current senior Amanda Mobley (Coopersburg, PA/Southern Lehigh) adding in a then career-high 15.
 
- Rider has made five-straight appearances in the MAAC Semi-finals. The Broncs were named MAAC Champions for 2019-20 for the first time in program history.
 
- A year ago, Rider finished 8-18 overall and earned the no. 7 seed in the MAAC Basketball Championship. The Broncs ended the season strong, going 6-4 in their final 10 games. In the MAAC Championship, the Broncs knocked off 10^th-seeded Monmouth 44-41 before upsetting second-seeded Quinnipiac 62-50.
 
- Rider was picked to finish fifth in the MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Broncs return all but one member of last year's team.
 
- Reigning MAAC Co-Rookie of the Year and Second-Team All-MET guard Makayla Firebaugh (Winchester, VA/James Wood) earned Preseason Second-Team All-MAAC honors. The sophomore averaged a team-high 11.0 points a season ago along with 4.4 rebounds. Toussaint was tabbed Preseason Third-Team All-MAAC. A fellow member of the All-Rookie Team a season ago, Toussaint averaged 7.5 points and 5.2 rebounds while shooting 47.6% from the field and 47.8% from three. 
 
- Mobley enters the season within striking distance of the top-10 in program history for career assists. In her first three seasons, Mobley has accumulated 289 dimes, just eight shy of Manon Pellet '16 for 10^th in program history.
 
- Junior Victoria Toomey (Dunmore, PA/Dunmore) started all 23 games she appeared in last season for Rider. She led the Broncs, averaging 5.6 rebounds per game. Classmate Maya Hyacienth (Nottingham, United Kingdom/City of London Academy) earned 23 starts in 25 appearances last year. Hyacienth heated up down the stretch, scoring in double figures in four of the Bronc's final five games.
 
- Penn State went 9-15 in 2020-21, ultimately falling in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament to Michigan State. The Nittany Lions started off the 2021-22 campaign with an 85-66 win over LIU on Tuesday. Transfer-sophomore Ali Brigham led the way with 20 points and nine rebounds. Graduate Student Kelly Jekot, who led Penn State at 15.9 points per game last season, scored 11 points off the bench.