LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – T.J. Weeks Jr. (Warwick, RI/Bishop Hendricken Catholic [UMass]) and Tariq Ingraham (Philadelphia, PA/Bonner-Prendergast [Wake Forest]) each posted double-doubles and Mervin James (St. Thomas, USVI/Pebblebrook [North Alabama]) scored in double-figures for the ninth-straight game to open the season as the Rider University men's basketball team defeated Stonehill, 73-56, Friday night at Alumni Gym. With the win, the Broncs improve to 2-7, while the Skyhawks are now 1-10.

The Skyhawks took an early lead of as many as five points, 12-7, at the 15:10 mark of the first half. But the Broncs would outscore Stonehill, 31-8, in the remainder of the period and never trailed again. Ingraham finished the half with 13 points and eight rebounds.

The Broncs eventually pushed their lead to its largest point, 23, on a Weeks Jr. three-pointer with 8:31 remaining. The closest the Skyhawks would draw in the second half was 12 at the 13:48 mark before Rider further pulled away.

Quotes & Notes
"We played better defense. We were locked in in the first half. I thought the second half got sloppy. We've still got a long way to go with work on both ends, but we're going to enjoy this win tonight."

"I thought Riq really set the stage in the first half with his dominance in the post. Good to see him doing what he does and what he's normally doing, getting his confidence back." – Rider Head Coach Kevin Baggett

- With a free throw at the 10:18 mark of the second half, Allen Powell (Philadelphia, PA/La Salle College HS) became the 42^nd Rider men's basketball player all-time to score 1,000 points for the Broncs.
- The Broncs and Skyhawks met for the second-straight year and the second time overall. Stonehill joined the Division I ranks last season and the Broncs visited Easton, MA, last Dec. 7 for a 78-67 victory.
- Rider led at the half for the first time since the opener against Immaculata on Nov. 6.
- The Broncs snapped their longest losing streak (seven games) since an eight-game skid covering the last seven games of the 2005-06 and the 2006-07 opener.

Broncs by the Numbers
- Weeks Jr. led the Broncs with a season-high 16 points to go along with 11 rebounds. It was his second double-double following a 14-point, 12-rebound performance at Marquette on Nov. 10.
- Ingraham added his first career double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. He hit 5-of-10 attempts from the floor, with all 10 attempts coming in the first half. Four of his 10 rebounds came on the offensive glass.
- Two Broncs posted a double-double in the same game for the first time since last Feb. 5, when James and Ajiri Ogemuno-Johnson achieved the feat in a win at Manhattan.
- James added 15 points on 4-of-9 from the floor, including 2-of-3 from long range, and 5-of-6 from the free-throw line. He also established a new career high with four blocked shots.
- Corey McKeithan (Windsor, CT/Windsor) added nine points, a career-high eight assists, five rebounds and a career-high four steals. He also blocked a shot for the first time this year and the fifth time in his 70 games at Rider.
- JT Langston Jr. (Fort Wayne, IN/San Gabriel Academy [East Los Angeles College]) chipped in with seven points, hitting his only field-goal attempt and 5-of-8 from the free-throw line. He also grabbed four rebounds, blocked a shot and made a steal.
- DJ Dudley (San Diego, CA/LA Premier Prep) grabbed five of his six rebounds on the offensive glass.
- The Skyhawks outshot the Broncs, 32.1 percent (18-56) to 30.1 percent (22-73) from the floor, including a 25.0 percent (6-24) to 22.0 percent (9-41) advantage from long range. The 41 three-point attempts are believed to be the most in Rider program history, eclipsing the 37 attempted on Nov. 23, 2002 vs. Monmouth.  
- Rider dominated Stonehill on the glass, 55-38, including a 24-12 edge in offensive rebounds. Rider took a 23-9 edge in second-chance points.
- The Broncs turned the ball over a season-low eight times, while forcing 13 Stonehill turnovers.
   
Up Next
The Broncs return to action Saturday, Dec. 16, when they travel to Monmouth for a 2 p.m. tip in West Long Branch. The game will be broadcast live on NBC Sports Philadelphia, SNY and FloSports.