Women's Basketball
Saturday, February 19, 2022 at 2:00 pm
Rider Broncs (6-16, 4-9 MAAC) vs. Canisius Golden Griffins (4-21, 2-14 MAAC)
Location: Lawrenceville, NJ (Alumni Gym)
Tip: 2:00 pm
Live Video: ESPN3
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 ESPN3.
 
- Prior to the game, the Broncs will be honoring their two graduating seniors, Teresa Wolak (Bridgewater, NJ/Bridgewater-Raritan) and Lenaejha Evans (Conway, SC/Conway). The pair have been a positive influence on their teammates and the program and we wish them the best in all of their future endeavors.
 
- The Broncs defense was in full effect on Thursday, holding Monmouth to just 26.7% shooting in a 51-41 victory. The 41 points are the fewest allowed by the Broncs this season.
 
- 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. Evans 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 14.0 points per game, and tops the squad with 16 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.
 
- The Golden Griffins lead the all-time series 33-16, but Rider has been in control of the series recently, winning seven of eight since the start of the 2016-17 season, including a 59-51 win in the first meeting this season. Evans led the Broncs in that contest with 17 points and a career-high nine rebounds.
 
- 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 341 career assists, good for seventh in program history after passing Rider Hall of Famer Linda Digiuseppantonio '87 in the game against Manhattan. Next on the list is Maritza Rodriguez '00, who finished with 360.
 
- The Broncs lead the MAAC and rank 42nd nationally with an average of 4.5 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 seven 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 (128-203) have come from three-point range. Her six made threes against Quinnipiac are tied for the fifth-most in a game in program history.
 
- The Golden Griffins have struggled this season at 2-14 in the MAAC, currently last place in the conference. Dani Haskell is sixth in the league in scoring at 14.1 points per game. The Broncs held Haskell to just 10 points on 3-of-14 shooting in the first meeting.