Women's Basketball
Thursday, January 12, 2023
Rider Broncs (4-11, 1-5 MAAC) vs. Canisius Golden Griffins (6-9, 3-3 MAAC)
Location: Lawrenceville, NJ (Alumni Gym)
Tip: 7:00 p.m.
Live Stats: GoBroncs.com
Broadcast: ESPN+
Radio: 107.7 TheBronc
Twitter: @RiderWBB
 
 
What You Need To Know
- Thursday night's game will be broadcast on ESPN3.
 
- Following the game, the team will be signing autographs for all fans.
 
- Last time out, runs of 12-0 and 15-0 by Mount St. Mary's led to a 74-52 setback for the Broncs on the road. Makayla Firebaugh (Winchester, VA/James Wood) led the Broncs with 16 points in the game.
 
- Amanda Mobley (Coopersburg, PA/Southern Lehigh) currently leads the MAAC and ranks 12^th nationally at 6.3 assists per game. She set her career-high with 12 assists at Canisius, then tied that mark against Saint Peter's
 
- Rider went 1-1 at the MAAC/ASUN Challenge, defeating North Florida 76-67 before falling to Eastern Kentucky 85-64. Firebaugh averaged 21.0 points and 5.0 rebounds while shooting 55.0% from behind the arc to earn MAAC Player of the Week honors.
 
- Rider was picked to finish tied for sixth in the MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Broncs return four starters and all but three members of last year's team.
 
- Firebaugh was named Preseason Third-Team All-MAAC. The 2020-21 MAAC Co-Rookie of the Year averaged 11.0 points and 4.4 rebounds per game last season. Her 31 points against Niagara were the most in a single game by any player in the MAAC last season.
 
- Rider is one of just nine teams in Division I without a true freshman on the roster. They just faced one of the other nine teams at the MAAC/ASUN Challenge when the Broncs battled Eastern Kentucky. The remaining seven teams are Charlotte, Coastal Carolina, CSUN, Gonzaga, Green Bay, Norfolk St, and Valpo. The Broncs are one of just five teams that returns 12 or more players from last season's roster, joining Columbia, Western Michigan, Liberty, and Weber State.
 
- Rider has made the MAAC Semifinals in five of the last six seasons. The Broncs were named MAAC Champions for 2019-20 for the first time in program history.
 
- Raphaela Toussaint (Kingston, Ontario/Lincoln Prep) led the Broncs with five double-doubles last season. She earned her first double-double of the season against North Florida with 13 points and 13 rebounds.
 
- The Broncs led the MAAC and ranked 42^nd nationally with an average of 4.2 blocks per game last season. Anna Ekerstedt (Varberg, Sweden/Marks Gymnasieskola) averaged 1.50 blocks per contest last season. Even with Ekerstedt sidelined due to injury, Rider blocked nine shots against NJIT.
 
- Nearly two-thirds of Jessika Schiffer's (Iserlohn, Germany/Deutschhaus Gymnasium Würzburg) shots last season (179-277) came from three-point range. 90 of her 129 shots this season have come from deep. Schiffer scored a season-high 19 points against Lehigh.
 
- The Broncs are second in the MAAC and rank 80th nationally entering the weekend, knocking down 7.2 threes a game. Maya Hyacienth (Nottingham, United Kingdom/City of London Academy) leads the conference in three-point percentage at 47.6%. Schiffer and Firebaugh are tied for second in the MAAC with 34 made triples. In addition, Mobley has 12, Toussaint has 11, and Hyacienth each have 10.
 
- ToniRenee Blanford (Montclair, NJ/The Patrick School[Union College]) scored a season-high 11 points and added a season-high eight rebounds at Seton Hall.
 
- The Golden Griffins lead the all-time series 34-17, including a 74-67 win over the Broncs in the first meeting earlier this year. Vanessa Garrelts scored a 22 to lead Canisius to the victory. Makayla Firebaugh scored a game-high 23 for the Broncs in the loss.
 
- The Golden Griffins are 6-9 on the season and 3-3 in MAAC play. Canisius has struggled away from the Koessler Athletic Center, sitting at 5-3 at home and 1-6 on the road. Dani Haskell, the Golden Griffins leading scorer at 13.4 points per game, was held to 10 points on 4-for-11 shooting in the first meeting.