Women's Basketball
Tuesday, March 8, 2022 at 9:30 am
No. 9 Rider Broncs (9-20, 7-13 MAAC) vs. No. 8 Iona Gaels (10-15, 8-12 MAAC)
Location: Atlantic City, NJ (Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall)
Tip: 9:30 am
Live Video: ESPN+
Live Stats: GoBroncs.com
Twitter: @RiderWBB
 
What You Need To Know
- All women's games at the MAAC Tournament will be broadcast on ESPN+, with the exception of the Championship Game, which will air on ESPNews.
 
- The Broncs are coming off a loss to Quinnipiac last time out. The Broncs were led by Lenaejha Evans (Conway, SC/Conway), who scored 16, her team-leading 22^nd game in double figures.
 
- At Iona, Raphaela Toussaint (Kingston, Ontario/Lincoln Prep) had her team-leading fifth double-double of the season with 14 points and 12 rebounds in that contest. She averaged 13.5 points and 10.5 rebounds in the two meetings with the Gaels this season.
 
- 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 was selected Third-Team All-MAAC by the league's coaches. It is the 31^st All-MAAC honor in program history, and 19^th under current head coach Lynn Milligan.
 
- Evans is leading the Broncs at 14.2 points per game, and tops the squad with 22 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 leads the all-time series over the Broncs, 31-24, including each of the last four meetings. The Broncs struggled to score in both games against the Gaels scoring an average of just 49 points in the two games this season, the Broncs lowest output agaisnt any conference opponent.  The Broncs and Gaels last met in the MAAC Tournament following the 2018-19 season, when the second-seeded Bronc topped the tenth-seeded Gaels. The teams have split their four previous MAAC Tournament matchups.
 
- Rider enters the MAAC Tournament as the nine-seed for the second time under Milligan. In 2010-11 the Broncs lost 57-47 to eighth-seeded Saint Peter's. The Broncs won as the nine-seed in 2004-05 when the Broncs defeated sixth-seeded Loyola (MD), 60-58, on a three-point buzzer beater by Becky Hower.
 
- 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) had two assists last time out at Quinnipiac, moving her past Ellen Keane '91 for fifth in program history. Mobley currently has 363 career assists. Next on the list is Patricka Smith '98, who closed out her career with 365.
 
- The Broncs lead the MAAC and rank 38^th nationally with an average of 4.5 blocks per game. Anna Ekerstedt (Varberg, Sweden/Marks Gymnasieskola) is averaging over a block per contest this season. Ekerstedt had a career-high six blocks in the second game against Niagara. Victoria Toomey (Dunmore, PA/Dunmore) led the Broncs in blocks in five of the team's nine 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 (172-266) 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 the eight seed in the conference tournament after finishing 8-12 in league play during the regular season. Iona is led by Second-Team All-MAAC selection Juana Camilion. Camilion is tenth in the MAAC at 12.8 points per game and fifth in the league at 3.5 assists per contest.