Women's Basketball
Thursday, January 26, 2023
Rider Broncs (5-14, 2-8 MAAC) vs. Siena Saints (12-7, 6-3 MAAC)
Location: Loudonville, NY (UHY Center)
Tip: 7:00 p.m.
Live Stats: SienaSaints.com
Broadcast: ESPN+
Twitter: @RiderWBB
 
 
What You Need To Know
- Saturday afternoon's game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
 
- Last time out, Rider fought back from down 13 points to force overtime, but fell in the second extra session to Fairfield, 64-61. Raphaela Toussaint (Kingston, Ontario/Lincoln Prep) had a double-double in the setback, posting 10 points and 10 rebounds.
 
- Amanda Mobley (Coopersburg, PA/Southern Lehigh) currently leads the MAAC and ranks 13^th nationally at 6.1 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. Makayla Firebaugh (Winchester, VA/James Wood) 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.
 
- 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. 109 of her 160 shots this season have come from deep. Schiffer scored a season-high 19 points against Lehigh.
 
- The Broncs are third in the MAAC and rank 98^th nationally, knocking down 6.9 threes a game. Firebaugh is second in the MAAC with 44 made triples. In addition, Schiffer has 39, 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.
 
- Siena holds a 37-17 edge in the all-time series, including a 68-44 win over the Broncs in December. Last season at Siena, Rider led wire-to-wire building a 16-point lead at the end of the first quarter before cruising to a 16-point victory.
 
- The Saints have been near the top of the MAAC standings for a majority of the season, sitting at 12-7 overall and 6-3 in MAAC play. The Saints' scoring attack is extremely balanced with Anajah Brown leading the way at 10.9 points per game and seven players averaging over 6.2 per contest.