Women's Basketball
Saturday, January 7, 2023
Rider Broncs (4-10, 1-4 MAAC) vs. Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers (5-8, 1-3 MAAC)
Location: Emmitsburg, MD (Knott Arena)
Tip: 1:00 p.m.
Live Stats: MountAthletics.com
Broadcast: ESPN3
Twitter: @RiderWBB
 
 
What You Need To Know
- Saturday afternoon's game will be broadcast on ESPN3.
 
- Last time out, the Broncs were down just four at the half to Iona, but a 17-0 run by the Gaels out of the break led Iona to a 68-44 victory.
 
- Amanda Mobley (Coopersburg, PA/Southern Lehigh) currently leads the MAAC and ranks ninth nationally at 6.5 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.
 
- Raphaela Toussaint (Kingston, Ontario/Lincoln Prep) 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.
 
- The Broncs led the MAAC and ranked 42^nd nationally with an average of 4.2 blocks per game last season. Anna Ekerstedt (Varberg, Sweden/Marks Gymnasieskola) averaged 1.50 blocks per contest last season. Even with Ekerstedt sidelined due to injury, Rider blocked nine shots against NJIT.
 
- Nearly two-thirds of Jessika Schiffer's (Iserlohn, Germany/Deutschhaus Gymnasium Würzburg) shots last season (179-277) came from three-point range. 85 of her 122 shots this season have come from deep. Schiffer scored a season-high 19 points against Lehigh.
 
- The Broncs lead the MAAC and rank 77th nationally entering the weekend, knocking down 7.3 threes a game. Maya Hyacienth (Nottingham, United Kingdom/City of London Academy) leads the conference in three-point percentage at 50.0%. Schiffer is second in the MAAC with 33 made triples. In addition, Firebaugh has 31, Mobley has 11, and Toussaint and Hyacienth each have 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 newest member of the MAAC, Mount St. Mary's joins the conference for the 2022-23 season after leaving the NEC following last season. These teams last met in the 2018-19 season, an 18-point Rider victory. Stella Johnson had a triple-double in that game, scoring 35 points, grabbing 12 rebounds, and dishing out 10 assists. The Mount does lead the all-time series 18-6. 
 
- The back-to-back NEC Champions, the Mountaineers have struggled to open their innaugural season in the MAAC, starting 5-8 overall and 1-3 in MAAC play. But The Mount has faced one of the tougher league schedules with losses coming against Manhattan, Fairfield, and Quinnipiac, all among the league leaders. Michaela Harrison leads the Mountaineers offense at 13.6 points per game.