LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – Tied 53-53, the Rider University women's basketball team went on an 8-3 run to close out the game and defeat Canisius, 61-56, Thursday night. The Broncs improve to 5-11 on the year, including 2-5 in MAAC play, while the Golden Griffins fall to 6-10 overall and 3-4 in league play.
 
Tied 53-53 with just under 90 seconds remaining, Mobley threaded a pass over the top of the defense to Firebaugh, who made the catch and in one motion converted a layup while being fouled. She added the free throw to put Rider up three.
 
After a defensive stop, Toussaint drained a pair of free throws, but a Canisius three cut the lead to a single possession again. After a one-for-two trip to the line put Rider up 59-56, the Golden Griffins three-point shot came up short and Toussaint iced the game with a pair of free throws.
 
The Broncs opened the game on an 11-0 run, including threes by Raphaela Toussaint (Kingston, Ontario/Lincoln Prep), Makayla Firebaugh (Winchester, VA/James Wood), and Jessika Schiffer (Iserlohn, Germany/Deutschhaus Gymnasium Würzburg[Buffalo]). Trailing 16-2, the Golden Griffins countered with a 15-0 run to briefly take the lead before Amanda Mobley (Coopersburg, PA/Southern Lehigh) found Victoria Toomey (Dunmore, PA/Dunmore) for an easy layup to put Rider back in front 18-17 after the opening quarter.
 
An and-one by Toomey followed by a bucket from Toussaint at the start of the second, extended the run to 7-0, but the Golden Griffins found a response again. Down 23-17, an 8-0 Canisius run gave the Golden Griffins the lead once again. Canisius led 29-26 at the half.
 
The Broncs opened the second half strong, whittling away the Canisius lead and going ahead 33-32 on a Firebaugh layup. The teams would go on to trade the lead four more times in the quarter, with Mobley's driving layup late in the quarter putting Rider up 41-40 after the third.
 
Neither team could pull away in the fourth, with Canisius maintaining a slim margin until a three-pointer by Molly Lynch (Sea Girt, NJ/Rutgers Prep) tied the game at 49-49 with 3:59 remaining.
 
Quotes & Notes
"Obviously nice to win at home. I thought that was as close to a 40-minute game as we've played in a while. Besides the run they went on late in the first quarter, I was really happy with the way that we locked in on defense."
 
"We came in with the right mindset today, and it's all about mindset. It's not about opponent. Our mindset one through 14 was exactly where it needed to be."
 
"Flow and pace are really important for us. It's putting your teammates in the most successful situations. I need to make sure I'm calling the right stuff to get the right people the right looks." – Head Coach Lynn Milligan
 
"We never gave up, never stopped, and we knew the fourth quarter would be a big quarter. We knew what we had to do and that's what we did."
 
"It's just not giving up on possessions, even if they get a rebound. We just continue to get stops, get rebounds, and execute on offense as well." – Junior Guard Makayla Firebaugh
 
"Something we've been working on is not letting a bucket or a turnover get us down. I think yelling into huddles and being excited helps keep everyone focused and ready to get a stop and score to turn it around."
 
"When we have to play four guards, I just got to run my two-man game with Vic, and that works pretty good. I saw that was working and was just looking to do that." – Graduate Guard Amanda Mobley
 
 
- Rider's win splits the season series, but Canisius still leads the all-time series to 34-18.
- Firebaugh led all scorers in the game with 16, her 12^th game in double figures this season. Toussaint finished in double figures for the ninth time this year, finishing with 13. Mobley scored 10, all in the second half for her fifth double-digit scoring game.
- Ranked 12^th in the country at 6.3 assists per game, Mobley finished with nine.

Broncs By The Numbers
- Rider shot 42.9% (21-49) from the field and 31.6% (6-19) from three. The Golden Griffins shot 32.8% (21-64) from the floor and 26.7% (8-30) from behind the arc.
- Canisius held a 40-34 edge on the glass, with a 17-7 edge in offensive boards. Firebaugh tied a season-high with seven rebounds to pace the Broncs.
- The Broncs had 17 assists on their 21 made baskets led by Mobley's nine.
 
Up Next
- Rider remains at home when the Broncs face Niagara on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m.