ATLANTIC CITY, NJ – The seventh-seeded Rider University women's basketball closed on a 15-2 run to knock off No. 2 seed Quinnipiac, 62-50, on Wednesday afternoon in the MAAC Championship Quarterfinals at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall.
The Broncs (8-17) knocked down nine three-pointers and shot 50 percent (9-of-18) from beyond the arc to earn their second straight win against the Bobcats (13-8).
The back-and-forth game saw 11 lead changes.
After Quinnipiac hit a pair of free throws with 3:51 left in regulation to take a 48-47 lead, Rider answered by hitting three-pointers on three straight possessions. The defense got the job done down the stretch as well as the Broncs forced a trio of turnovers and the Bobcats missed two of their final four field goal attempts.
Clinging to a six-point lead at 56-50 with just under a minute remaining, Rider senior
Daija Moses (Toronto, Ontario/Henry Street) took a charge in the post.
The offensive foul took the wind out of the Quinnipiac sails as the Broncs would score the final six points of the game to advance to the MAAC Championship Semifinals. Rider will face the winner of tomorrow's contest between sixth-seeded Iona and No. 3 seed Saint Peter's. The Broncs will next take the court on Friday, March 12, at 1:30 pm.
Freshman forward
Raphaela Toussaint (Kingston, Ontario/Lincoln Prep) led three Broncs in double figures with 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting. MAAC Co-Rookie of the Year
Makayla Firebaugh (Winchester, VA/James Wood) chipped in 12 points, while sophomore
Anna Ekerstedt (Varberg, Sweden/Marks Gymnasieskola [Broward College]) added 10 points for the second straight game.
QUOTES & NOTES
"Obviously a great win for our program today. To beat Quinnipiac, who's been a perennial favorite in this league for a really long time, the job that Trish does with them, year in and year out, everybody knows is really impressive. I'm really proud of this group. They bought into the game plan and what we wanted to do and how we needed to play today to be successful. And then we obviously had again, like yesterday, different people at different times in the game really step up and make some big, big shots."
- Rider Head Coach Lynn Milligan
- Rider has now won back-to-back games and three of the last four contests against Quinnipiac.
- The Broncs advanced to the MAAC Championship Semifinals for the fifth year in a row.
- Rider shot 50 percent or better from three-point range for the second time this season.
- The Broncs held Quinnipiac to 25 percent (7-of-28) shooting the in second half.
- Rider outscored Quinnipiac, 25-9, in the fourth quarter.
- Rider had 16 assists on 24 made field goals.
BRONCS BY THE NUMBERS
- Junior point guard
Amanda Mobley had seven points, 10 assists, three steals and two rebounds in 37 minutes of action. Mobley's 10 dimes were a season-high.
- Ekerstedt scored in double figures for the second game in a row. In two games in Atlantic City, she has scored 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the field.
- Toussaint was 3-of-3 from beyond the arc. She also added three rebounds and one steal.
- After going scoreless yesterday against Monmouth, Firebaugh had the first five points of the game for Rider. She finished with 12 points and six rebounds.
- Off the bench,
Daija Moses and
Lenaejha Evans combined for 15 points.
