Women's Basketball
Thursday, February 17, 2022 at 7:00 pm
Rider Broncs (6-16, 4-9 MAAC) vs. Monmouth Hawks (13-9, 8-5 MAAC)
Location: Lawrenceville, NJ (Alumni Gym)
Tip: 7:00 pm
Live Video: ESPN+
Live Stats: GoBroncs.com
Live Audio: 107.7 The Bronc
Twitter: @RiderWBB
 
What You Need To Know
- Thursday night's game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
 
- The Broncs are hosting the first of two Pride Night games at Alumni Gym. The first 40 fans through the doors will receive a free rainbow Rider "R" t-shirt.
 
- The MAAC basketball tournament trophy will be on display in the lobby. Be sure to take a picture and cement your plans to follow the Broncs to the Boardwalk in Atlantic City, NJ, from March 8-12.
 
- The Broncs led 40-36 late in the third quarter last time out against Saint Peter's, but struggled in the fourth, ultimately falling 69-56.
 
- Rider snapped a four-game losing streak at Marist, winning 60-50 in Poughkeepsie. The Broncs defense held the Red Foxes to just 29.8% shooting from the field, including just 19.0% from long range.
 
- The Broncs swept the Western NY swing for the second-straight time Jan. 13-15, 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.
 
- In the second game of the home-and-home against Niagara, Makayla Firebaugh (Winchester, VA/James Wood) scored a career-high 31 points. The 31 points are the most by any player in the MAAC in a single game this season.
 
- 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 13.9 points per game, and tops the squad with 15 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 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]). Monmouth snapped a seven-game Rider winning-streak in the series when the teams met earlier this year and the Hawks hold a 30-23 advantage in the all-time series.
 
- Rider has made five-straight appearances in the MAAC Semifinals. 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 337 career assists, good for seventh in program history after passing Rider Hall of Famer Linda Digiuseppantonio '87 against Manhattan. Next on the list is Maritza Rodriguez '00, who finished with 360.
 
- The Broncs lead the MAAC and rank 35th nationally with an average of 4.6 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 in the second game against Niagara. Toomey led the Broncs in blocks in five of the team's six 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 (125-197) have come from three-point range. Her six made threes against Quinnipiac are tied for the fifth-most in a game in program history.
 
- Rider led by three at the half in the first meeting this season, but Monmouth shot 53.8% from the field in the second half to earn a 10-point victory. Stella Clark, the team's leading scorer at 11.8 per contest, had 18 in that game. Belle Kranbuhl, the MAAC leader in blocks, had a season-high seven in the first meeting. The Hawks are currently fourth in the MAAC.