EMMITSBURG, MD – The Rider University women's basketball team faced Mount St. Mary's for the first time as a MAAC opponent Saturday afternoon, but could not defeat the back-to-back reigning NEC Champions, falling 74-52. The Broncs fall to 4-11 on the season, including a 1-5 MAAC mark, while the Mountaineers improve to 6-8 overall and 2-3 in MAAC play.
 
Down 10-6 midway through the first, the Broncs started to get the long ball to fall. Makayla Firebaugh (Winchester, VA/James Wood) drained a pair, then back-to-back threes from Emily Strunk (Stroudsburg, PA/Stroudsburg) and Amanda Mobley (Coopersburg, PA/Southern Lehigh) put Rider on top 18-15. The Broncs led 18-17 after 10 minutes.
 
Both offenses struggled for a majority of the second quarter, but the Mountaineers managed to put together a 12-0 run, with the last basket of the first quarter and first 10 points in the second to build a 29-23 halftime edge.
 
After a Jessika Schiffer (Iserlohn, Germany/Deutschhaus Gymnasium Würzburg[Buffalo]) triple to open the second half, the Mountaineers broke the game open with a 15-0 run, carrying a 57-35 edge into the fourth.
 
Down 58-35, Rider went on a 9-2 run, including seven points by Raphaela Toussaint (Kingston, Ontario/Lincoln Prep) to cut the deficit to 60-44, but that would be as close as the Broncs would get.
 
Quotes & Notes
"They made a couple of good runs, made a couple threes. We had some stops, when they would respond with one second left on the shot clock, and they'll deflate you. We have got to be able to have a stop, come down, and score. We just haven't done a good job of that lately."
 
"If we were throwing the ball all over the gym and taking careless shots, that's a different story. We're getting the looks, we just need to be confident and strong."
 
"Em did a really good job today inside with her strength, and Molly's energy was great. For Molly, it started on the defensive end, taking a charge and getting tips and steals early, and it carried over for the rest of the game." – Head Coach Lynn Milligan
 
"I always think about [seizing the opportunity] because the opportunities I get can either be like very large or kind of small, so whenever I'm given the opportunity I just go in with an open mind, and look for anything I can do. Things were working in my favor today, so it was easy for coach to call plays for me."
 
"There's a lot of help on the outside from the guards, that allow me to be able to do what I can on the inside. We work a lot in practice, and you have to be able to body down low and be able to be big." – Sophomore Forward Emily Strunk
 
- Mount St. Mary's takes the first meeting as a MAAC opponent and now leads the all-time series 19-6.
- Firebaugh led the Broncs with 16 points, her 11^th games in double figures this season. Toussaint added 15, finishing in double figures for the eighth time this year.
- Strunk scored a career-high nine points.

Broncs By The Numbers
- Rider shot just 30.0% (18-60) from the field and 25.0% (6-24) from three. The Mountaineers shot 54.5% (30-55) from the floor, and were 44.4% (12-27) from behind the arc.
- The Mountaineers held a 37-31 edge on the glass, but the Broncs held a 9-5 edge in offensive boards. Firebaugh led Rider with six boards, including four on the offensive end.
- The Broncs had 14 assists on their 18 made baskets led by three each from Firebaugh and Molly Lynch (Sea Girt, NJ/Rutgers Prep)
- The Mountaineers had a 36-18 edge in points in the paint.
 
Up Next
- Rider returns home as Canisius visits Alumni Gym Thursday. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m.