LAWRENCEVIVLLE, NJ – Allen Powell (Philadelphia, PA/La Salle College HS) scored a game-high 19 points, but the Rider University men's basketball team fell to Quinnipiac, 72-63, Friday night at Alumni Gym. With the loss, the Broncs fall to 6-8 (3-2 MAAC), while the Bobcats are now 11-5 (2-3 MAAC).

A back-and-forth first half concluded with the Broncs leading, 36-31, on the strength of 53.6 percent (15-28) shooting. Quinnipiac started quick, scoring six of the first eight, before Rider counted with a 10-2 spurt to surge ahead, 15-11, at the 11:23 mark. Quinnipiac made three three's in a 10-0 run to retake the lead, 21-15, with less than eight minutes left, before Rider grabbed the lead back with an 8-0 run. The pendulum swung again in the Bobcats' favor with five-straight, before Mervin James (St. Thomas, USVI/Pebblebrook [North Alabama]) sparked a 7-0 Broncs run with five-straight and Zahrion Blue (Princeton, NJ/Princeton [Lincoln (Pa.)] capped it with a tough drive.

The teams exchanged buckets twice before Anthony McCall (Philadelphia, PA/Academy of the New Church) grabbed an offensive rebound and scored on a short jumper to cap the first-half scoring at 36-31 Rider. James led the Broncs with 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting, while Powell made 5-of-7 attempts for 12 points.

Quinnipiac scored the first seven points of the second half to retake the lead, 38-36. The teams exchanged the lead five times before Quinnipiac created separation with an 11-2 run, taking a 56-48 lead with 8:42 remaining. James responded with a lay-up to cut the deficit to six, but the Broncs would draw no closer.

Quotes & Notes
"Not a good second half. Embarrassing, as a matter of fact. Poor execution, poor rebounding, poor defense. Embarrassing." – Rider Head Coach Kevin Baggett

- Rider leads the all-time series with Quinnipiac, 13-9. However, after dominating the series' first 14 games, 12-2, the Bobcats have won seven of the last eight, including the last five.  
- Rider played without Preseason All-MAAC First Team selection Dwight Murray, Jr. (Austell, GA/Pebblebrook [Incarnate Word]) due to injury. It was just Murray's second game missed in his time at Rider, covering 68 games, all starts. Both games missed have come against Quinnipiac.  
- Corey McKeithan (Windsor, CT/Windsor) made his first start of the year, the second of his career, in Murray's place.
- Rider is now 3-2 at Alumni Gym this season, including a 1-1 mark in league contests.

Broncs by the Numbers
- Powell scored a season-high 19 points on 8-of-15 shooting, including 1-of-3 from long range, and made both of his free-throw attempts. He also grabbed a season-high five rebounds, matching his career high, and made three steals.  
- James made 6-of-10 attempts from the floor and 4-of-5 from the free-throw line for 16 points.
- Rider got a second-half spark from Adetokunbo Bakare (Newark, NJ/St. Benedict's [Indian Hills C.C./NJIT]), who made all three of his three-point attempts for nine points, all in the final 20 minutes.
- McKeithan contributed a career-high six rebounds to go along with a game-high and career-high-matching five assists.
- Blue and Tariq Ingraham (Philadelphia, PA/Bonner-Prendergast) had four points and four rebounds apiece, while Ajiri Ogemuno-Johnson (Delta State, Nigeria/Bonner-Prendergast) chipped in with four points and two blocks.
- After shooting 53.6 percent (15-28) in the first half, the Broncs shot just 35.7 percent (10-28) in the second to finish at 44.6 percent (25-56) for the game. Rider still outshot Quinnipiac, which finished at 40.0 percent (22-55), albeit with 10-of-29 shooting (34.5 percent) from long range to Rider's 33.3 percent (4-12) beyond the arc.
- Quinnipiac took a 72.0 percent (18-25) to 69.2 percent (9-13) edge from the free-throw line.
- The Bobcats outrebounded Rider, 40-30, including an 11-4 edge on the offensive glass. The discrepancy led to a 16-7 edge in second-chance points.
- Rider outscored the Bobcats, 24-20, in the paint.
- Quinnipiac's bench outscored Rider's, 32-19.
  
Up Next
The Broncs return to the road Sunday to face Siena. Tip-off from MVP Arena in Albany, NY, is scheduled for 2 p.m. on ESPN+.