Women's Basketball
Saturday, January 21, 2023
Rider Broncs (5-13, 2-7 MAAC) vs. Fairfield Stags (9-8, 5-3 MAAC)
Location: Lawrenceville, NJ (Alumni Gym)
Tip: 2:00 p.m.
Live Stats: GoBroncs.com
Broadcast: ESPN+
Radio: 107.7 TheBronc
Twitter: @RiderWBB
 
 
What You Need To Know
- Saturday afternoon's game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
 
- Last time out, Iona had an historic shooting performance, setting multiple NCAA records, including going 16-for-18 (88.9%) to defeat the Broncs 90-62. Raphaela Toussaint (Kingston, Ontario/Lincoln Prep) led Rider in the game with 18 points.
 
- Amanda Mobley (Coopersburg, PA/Southern Lehigh) currently leads the MAAC and ranks 14^th nationally at 5.9 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. 105 of her 150 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. Firebaugh is third in the MAAC with 40 made triples. In addition, Schiffer has 38, Mobley and Toussaint each have 12, and Maya Hyacienth (Nottingham, United Kingdom/City of London Academy) 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.
 
- The Stags swept the Broncs in their pair of games in each of the last two seasons. One of several close conference games the Broncs played last season, Rider led 42-41 entering the fourth quarter at Fairfield last season before ultimately falling 65-61. Lenaejha Evans led three Broncs in double figures with 18 points in that contest.
 
- The Stags have struggled relative to their lofty expectations, sitting fifth in the crowded MAAC standings at 5-3 and sit 9-8 overall. Callie Cavanaugh currently leads the MAAC in scoring at 17.2 points per game.