Women's Basketball
Thursday, February 24, 2022 at 7:00 pm
Rider Broncs (8-17, 6-10 MAAC) at Iona Gaels (8-13, 6-10 MAAC)
Location: New Rochelle, NY (Hynes Athletic Center)
Tip: 7:00 pm
Live Video: ESPN3
Live Stats: ICGaels.com
Twitter: @RiderWBB
 
What You Need To Know
- Thursday night's game will be broadcast on ESPN3.
 
- Rider will look to bounce back from a disappointing loss to Marist, 70-62, last time out. The loss snapped a two-game winning streak for the Broncs. In the setback, Raphaela Toussaint (Kingston, Ontario/Lincoln Prep) had 18 points and a career-high six steals.
 
- With just four games remaining for a majority of teams in the MAAC, the seeding race is as cloudy as ever. Just two games separate fifth from ninth at the moment, with the Broncs and Gaels currently for the eight-seed. The Broncs can make a move this weekend, when they play both Iona and Saint Peter's, who is currently tied for fifth.
 
- 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 13.8 points per game, and tops the squad with 17 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.
 
- Toussaint 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.
 
- Iona holds a 30-24 advantage in the all-time series, and currently holds a three-game winning streak over the Broncs. Rider struggled out of the gate in the first meeting between the teams this year, scoring just 12 first-half points in a 63-40 loss to the Gaels.
 
- 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 344 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 4.4 blocks per game. Victoria Toomey (Dunmore, PA/Dunmore) and Anna Ekerstedt (Varberg, Sweden/Marks Gymnasieskola) 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 eight 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 (144-223) 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 Gaels are currently tied with the Broncs at 6-10 in the MAAC for the eight seed with the Gaels holding the tiebreaker due to their win earlier this season. Iona's leading scorer, Juana Camilion, scored a game-high 13 in the first meeting.