LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – Jeremiah Pope (Clinton, NC/Clinton [Brunswick C.C.]) led four Broncs in double figures with 14 points and Ajiri Ogemuno-Johnson (Delta State, Nigeria/Monsignor Bonner) added a double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds as the Rider University men's basketball team defeated Delaware State, 63-53, Sunday evening at Alumni Gymnasium. With the win, the Broncs improve to 2-1, while the Hornets are now 1-2.

A sloppy, back-and-forth first half concluded with Rider holding a 28-22 lead. The Hornets built a lead of as many as five on a Fahim Jenneto three-point play at the 8:49 mark, before Rider evened the score with five-straight points. A 7-0 Rider run pushed the Broncs ahead for the remainder of the half and the advantage swelled to eight on a Pope three-pointer with 1:25 remaining. Vaughn led the Broncs with 10 points at the break.  

Rider posted an early second-half 11-0 run to extend the lead to 17 points. Five different Broncs had a field goal in the run. The lead reached 18 points on two occasions, before Delaware State scored 11 straight to cut it back to single digits, 47-40, with 5:45 remaining. But the Broncs' defense buckled down from there and didn't let the Hornets draw any closer.
 
Quotes & Notes
"Give (Delaware State) Coach (Stan Waterman) and them credit. I thought Delaware State came in here and played their behinds off. They never quit. I know they had a tough loss the other day against an in-state rival there in Maryland. I think we thought it was going to be easy. We always talk about respecting the opponent. So we have a lot of work to do." – Rider Head Coach Kevin Baggett

- Rider has now led at the half in all three of its games this season.
- The Broncs have won 34 of their last 39 games at home when fans are in attendance.
- Rider evens the all-time series with Delaware State at 2-2. The first two meetings came in the 1981-82 season, before the Broncs earned a victory in Dover in November 2019.
- 10 Broncs saw action in the game.
- The Broncs return to action Wednesday, when they travel to Bucknell. The 7 p.m. tip-off will be broadcast on ESPN+.

Broncs by the Numbers
- Pope hit 3-of-5 field-goal attempts, including 2-of-4 from long range. He also made all six of his free-throw attempts for his career-high 14 points. His previous career high was 12, accomplished twice last season.
- Dwight Murray, Jr. (Austell, GA/Pebblebrook [Incarnate Word]) added 13 points, giving him double figures in all three games for the Broncs this season.
- Dimencio Vaughn (New York, NY/Callaway/The Masters School [Ole Miss]) chipped in with 12 points, six rebounds and two blocks. He hit 5-of-11 attempts from the floor.  
- Ogemuno-Johnson grabbed six of his 12 rebounds on the offensive glass.
- Vaughn, Allen Powell (Philadelphia, PA/La Salle College H.S.), Murray and Sedrick Altman (Rialto, CA/Colony [Pepperdine]) had two steals apiece, while Mervin James (St. Thomas, USVI/Pebblebrook [North Alabama]) also added a steal and a block to go with his nine rebounds.
- For the game, Rider outshot DSU, 32.4 percent (23-71) to 31.7 percent (19-60) from the floor.
- Neither team found success from long range, with the Hornets taking a 23.8 percent (5-21) to 18.5 percent (5-27) edge from beyond the arc.
- Rider edged Delaware State from the free-throw line, 75.0 percent (12-16) to 66.7 percent (10-15).
- Both teams grabbed 44 rebounds.
- Rider took a 14-11 edge in offensive rebounds, resulting in a 17-9 disparity in second-chance points.
- The Broncs also outscored DSU, 36-20, in the paint.
- Rider forced 21 Hornet turnovers, resulting in a 24-10 edge in points off turnovers.  
- Rider led for 33 minutes and 15 seconds, while trailing for just three minutes and 28 seconds of game time.