Women's Basketball
Saturday, January 29, 2022 at 5:00 pm
Rider Broncs (5-13, 3-6 MAAC) vs. Iona Gaels (4-10, 2-7 MAAC)
Location: Lawrenceville, NJ (Alumni Gym)
Tip: 5:00 pm
Live Video: ESPN+
Live Stats: GoBroncs.com
Live Audio: 107.7 The Bronc
Twitter: @RiderWBB
 
What You Need To Know
- Saturday night's game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
 
- Saturday is Rep Your Flag night in Alumni Gym. All international students are encouraged to attend the game and support the six international student-athletes that are members of the team. Multiple videos will be shown on the videoboard discussing the various backgrounds and home countries of student-athletes. The girl scouts will be in attendance selling cookies in the lobby.
 
- Rider fell at Monmouth, 63-53, on Thursday. The Broncs will look to snap a three-game losing streak on Saturday.
 
- 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 14.8 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 in the first meeting agaisnt Niagara.
 
- Iona leads the all-time series 29-23. The Gaels sweep of Rider last season snapped a nine-game Bronc winning streak. Iona returns their top three scorers from a season ago. The Gaels earned the six seed in the MAAC Tournament, losing to Saint Peter's in the MAAC Quarterfinals.

- 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.
 
- Makayla Firebaugh (Winchester, VA/James Wood), 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 321 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 43rd nationally with an average of 4.6 blocks per game. Victoria Toomey (Dunmore, PA/Dunmore) and Anna Ekerstedt (Varberg, Sweden/Marks Gymnasieskola [Broward College]) 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 (104-162) have come from three-point range. Her six made threes against Quinnipiac are tied for the fifth-most in a game in program history.
 
- Iona is 4-10 on the season and 2-7 in the MAAC. Much like the Broncs, the Gaels have been competitive in conference play, with five of their seven MAAC losses coming by single digits. Iona is led by Third-Team All-MAAC honoree Juana Camilion. The junior leads the team at 12.6 points per game.