Women's Basketball
Saturday, January 14, 2023
Rider Broncs (5-12, 2-6 MAAC) vs. Iona Gaels (11-5, 6-1 MAAC)
Location: New Rochelle, NY (Hynes Athletic Center)
Tip: 6:00 p.m.
Live Stats: IonaGaels.com
Broadcast: ESPN3
Radio: 107.7 TheBronc
Twitter: @RiderWBB
 
 
What You Need To Know
- Thursday night's game will be broadcast on ESPN3.
 
- Last time out, Niagara forced 32 Rider turnovers and held a 33-4 advantage in points off turnovers to defeat the Broncs 67-55. Raphaela Toussaint (Kingston, Ontario/Lincoln Prep) led Rider in the game with 21 points and nine rebounds.
 
- Amanda Mobley (Coopersburg, PA/Southern Lehigh) currently leads the MAAC and ranks 11^th nationally at 6.2 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.
 
- Makayla Firebaugh (Winchester, VA/James Wood) 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.
 
- Toussaint 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.
 
- Nearly two-thirds of Jessika Schiffer's (Iserlohn, Germany/Deutschhaus Gymnasium Würzburg) shots last season (179-277) came from three-point range. 102 of her 144 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 86^th nationally, 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 is second in the MAAC with 38 made triples. In addition, Firebaugh has 35, Mobley has 12, Toussaint has 11, and Hyacienth has 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.
 
- Iona has won six-straight over the Broncs, including a 68-44 win over the Broncs in Lawrenceville just two weeks ago. The win extended the Gaels lead in the all-time series to 33-24. Kate Mager drained five threes for the Gaels in that victory, and Juana Camillion led all scorers in the game with 17.
 
- The Gaels enter Thursday's game atop the conference standings at 6-1 in league play, and winners of five straight. Juana Camillion, Ketsia Athias, and Kate Mager are all averaging double figures on the season with Athias also ranking second in the MAAC at 7.8 rebounds per game and third in the MAAC at 4.6 assists per contest.