Women's Basketball
Thursday, January 27, 2022 at 7:00 pm
Rider Broncs (5-12, 3-5 MAAC) at Monmouth Hawks (9-6, 4-2 MAAC)
Location: West Long Branch, NJ (OceanFirst Bank Center)
Tip: 7:00 pm
Live Video: ESPN3
Live Stats: MonmouthHawks.com
Live Audio: 107.7 The Bronc
Twitter: @RiderWBB
 
What You Need To Know
- Thursday night's game will be broadcast on ESPN3.
 
-Rider fell to Siena, 82-44, last time out, splitting the season series with the Saints and putting the Broncs on a two-game losing streak entering Thursday's contest.
 
- The Broncs swept the Western NY swing for the second-straight time, also winning both in 2019-20 (Due to changes to the schedule in 2020-21 the trip did not occur), after topping Niagara 92-70 on Saturday. Lenaejha Evans (Conway, SC/Conway) scored a career-high 30 in that contest.
 
- The Broncs led wire-to-wire in their victory at Siena earlier this year. It's the first time Rider did not trail in a game since a 45-31 victory over Monmouth last season. The Broncs have had at least one wire-to-wire victory in every season since the 2011-12 campaign.
 
- Evans is leading the Broncs at 15.2 points per game, and tops the squad with 13 double-digit scoring games this season, including a career-high 30 points in the first meeting against Niagara. The senior was named both MAAC and Met Basketball Writers Association Player of the Week after leading Rider to a sweep of the western NY swing.
 
- Raphaela Toussaint (Kingston, Ontario/Lincoln Prep) produced double-doubles in both of Rider's first two victories, earning MAAC Player of the Week honors on Dec. 6. In Rider's win over NJIT, she had 17 points and 10 boards. Against Army, the sophomore had 13 points, 11 rebounds, and a career-high four assists. Toussaint added a career-high 23 points last time out against Niagara.
 
- Rider swept the season series with the Hawks a season ago, winning both games at Monmouth before defeating the Hawks by three in the first round of the MAAC Tournament behind a career-high 10 points from Anna Ekerstedt (Varberg, Sweden/Marks Gymnasieskola [Broward College]). The Broncs have won seven straight in the series, holding Monmouth to 50 or less in all seven contests. Monmouth does hold a 29-23 advantage in the all-time series.
 
- 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.
 
- Firebaugh, the reigning MAAC Co-Rookie of the Year and Second-Team All-MET guard, 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.
 
- Molly Lynch (Sea Girt, NJ/Rutgers Prep) had a career game in the first meeting against Niagara. The sophomore set career-highs in points (9), assists (7), steals (2), and minutes (23).
 
- Amanda Mobley (Coopersburg, PA/Southern Lehigh) now has 319 career assists, good for eighth in program history after passing both Becky Hower '05 and Debbie Snyder '94 against Wagner. Next on the list is Rider Hall of Famer Linda Digiuseppantonio '87, who ended her career with 329.
 
- The Broncs lead the MAAC and rank 33rd nationally with an average of 4.7 blocks per game. Victoria Toomey (Dunmore, PA/Dunmore) and Ekerstedt are averaging over a block per contest this season. Ekerstedt had a career-high six blocks against Niagara last Tuesday. Toomey led the Broncs in blocks in all five of the team's wins this season.
 
- The Broncs were lethal at the free-throw line against NJIT. The Broncs shot 88.5% (23-26) at the charity stripe, including going 11-12 in the fourth quarter. The 23 made free-throws are the most in a game since the team also had 23 in an early season win over Lipscomb in 2019. The last time the Broncs hit more than 23, was the 30 made in 2018 in a MAAC Tournament victory over Fairfield.
 
- Nearly two-thirds of Jessika Schiffer's (Iserlohn, Germany/Deutschhaus Gymnasium Würzburg) shots this season (100-154) have come from three-point range. Her six made threes against Quinnipiac are tied for the fifth-most in a game in program history.
 
- Monmouth is enjoying a surprisingly good season, sitting at 9-6 overall and off to a 4-2 start to MAAC play after being picked to finish 10th in the preseason coaches' poll. The Hawks have been very good at defending the three-point line, ranking 10th nationally, allowing just 24.4% from behind the arc. Offensively, the Hawks are led by Stella Clark, who is averaging 11.4 points per game.