ATLANTIC CITY, NJ – Dwight Murray, Jr. (Austell, GA/Pebblebrook [Incarnate Word]) scored a game-high 22 points and his fifth and final assist led to the 11^th-seeded Rider University men's basketball team's 78-76 upset win over No. 6 Canisius in the MAAC Championship Opening Round Monday night at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall. Trailing for most of the game, the Broncs tied it on Murray's three-pointer with 1:03 remaining and took the lead on a Dontrell McQuarter (Baton Rouge, LA/Believe Prep [Hinds C.C.]) lay-up off Murray's lob pass into the paint with 29 seconds remaining. With the win, the Broncs advance to face third-seeded Saint Peter's on Thursday at 5 p.m. in the MAAC Quarterfinals.

Canisius methodically built its lead in the first half to as many as eight points, before the Broncs scored the final bucket of the period to cut the deficit to six, 42-36, at the break. The Griffs hoisted 19 first-half three, connecting on seven to account for half their points. McQuarter led Rider with eight points and five rebounds in the half.

After the Canisius lead grew to nine, Rider scored six straight and, later, twice cut the deficit to two. But Canisius again had the answer, scoring 12 of the next 15 to push the lead back to double digits. But Rider wasn't done. Trailing by 10 with 9:32 remaining, the Broncs went on a 10-2 run, including four points from Tyrel Bladen (Coatesville, PA/Coatesville) and an Allen Powell (Philadelphia, PA/La Salle College H.S.) jumper to cap the run at the 5:14 mark.

After Powell's clean look at a three for the lead wouldn't fall with three minutes remaining, Canisius' Jordan Henderson connected on a three of his own to push the Griffs' lead back to five. Murray found Ajiri Ogemuno-Johnson (Delta State, Nigeria/Monsignor Bonner) for two inside to cut it back to three, Murray followed with his game-tying three with 1:03 left. Ahamadou Fofana misfired on a three-point attempt at the other end for Canisius, before Murray looked bottled up on the offensive end, but found McQuarter with the lob for the decisive bucket with 29 seconds left. Canisius still got three more attempts on offense to either retake the lead or tie, but none of their shots would fall and the Broncs secured the victory.  

Quotes & Notes
"Our message to our guys was just stay together. We're going to go through some highs, some lows, a little bit of adversity in the game – stay together. If you want to win in this tournament, guys got to stay together, play together and just continue to believe. And when we got down by 11, guys in the huddle just kept saying, 'we've got this. We've got this. Just keep battling back.' And our guys did that." – Rider Head Coach Kevin Baggett

- Rider leads the all-time series with Canisius, 38-15. However, the recent series has been far closer, with Rider holding a 9-8 lead over the last 17 meetings in Rider Head Coach Kevin Baggett's nine years at the helm.  
- Rider now holds a 4-1 lead against Canisius in MAAC Championship meetings. However, Rider was a top three seed in each of the first four meetings.
- Rider is now 15-22 all-time at MAAC Championships and 7-2 in opening round games. Rider was playing for the first time as an 11 seed.
- The No. 11 seed won for the first time in six years and just the third time in eight years since the MAAC went to 11 teams in 2013-14. The No. 11 seed won in the opening round in the first two years of the 11-team format after Monmouth and Quinnipiac joined the league following Loyola (Md.)'s departure.
- Rider moves on to take on third-seeded Saint Peter's on Thursday at 5 p.m. in the MAAC Quarterfinals.  

Broncs by the Numbers
- Murray scored 20 points or more for the eighth time this season, while reaching double figures for the 18^th time in 22 games.
- He hit 7-of-10 attempts from the floor, including 2-of-4 from long range and all six of his free-throw attempts.
- Powell finished with 19 points on 6-of-9 from the floor, 3-of-4 from long range and 4-of-5 from the line. He also made two steals.
- McQuarter posted his second double-double of the year with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
- Ogemuno-Johnson contributed nine points and seven rebounds.
- Bladen chipped in with eight points, including 6-of-6 from the free-throw line. He also grabbed six rebounds.
- Rider outshot Canisius, 48.9 percent (23-47) to 42.4 percent (28-66) from the floor, including a 50.0 percent (6-12) to 29.0 percent (9-31) margin from long range. The Broncs also took an 81.3 percent (26-32) to 64.7 percent (11-17) advantage from the free-throw line.
- The Broncs outrebounded the Griffs, 38-31.
- The Griffs turned the ball over just six times for the game and took a 16-7 advantage in points off turnovers.
- Rider led for just two minutes and 20 seconds of game time to Canisius' 32:20.