LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – Allen Powell (Philadelphia, PA/La Salle College HS) hit the game-winning jumper with 7.3 seconds remaining as the Rider University men's basketball team defeated Fairfield, 58-57, Friday night for its eighth-straight win. With the win, the Broncs move to 14-9 (11-3 MAAC), while the Stags fall to 10-14 (6-8 MAAC).  

After Fairfield scored the game's first six points, Rider methodically whittled away at the deficit until Allen Powell's (step-back jumper at the 9:47 mark gave the Broncs their first lead, 12-11. The Stags retook the lead with a pair of free throws, before the Broncs scored six of the next eight points to extend to their largest lead of the half, 19-15, on a Dwight Murray, Jr. (Austell, GA/Pebblebrook [Incarnate Word]) step back. Fairfield grabbed a one-point lead back with just under five minutes remaining and the Broncs retook the lead, 28-27, at the halftime break.|

Powell led the Broncs with 10 points at the half, with James adding six points and seven rebounds. Both teams shot 50 percent (12-24), with the Broncs committing an uncharacteristic 11 turnovers. The Broncs masked the miscues with an 18-7 edge on the glass, including a 6-0 margin on the offensive boards, leading to an 8-0 advantage in second-chance points.

Neither team could create much separation in the second half, with Fairfield building a four-point cushion early in the period and Rider countering with six straight as part of an 8-1 run to open a 47-42 lead with 8:37 remaining. Fairfield immediately responded with five straight to tie the game, which remained a one-possession contest for the remainder. Rider retook the lead, 55-54, on an Ajiri Ogemuno-Johnson (Delta State, Nigeria/Bonner-Prendergast) putback with 1:50 left. But Allen Jeanne-Rose's bucket in the paint and a Supreme Cook free throw following a foul on the play made it a 57-55 Fairfield lead.

Neither team could score for the next minute, with Ogemuno-Johnson coming up with a big steal. After Murray was fouled with 21 seconds left and made the first of two free throws, he missed the second and Ogemuno-Johnson came up with a pivotal back tap to prolong the possession. Powell drove along the right baseline and hit a pull-up, baseline jumper with 7.3 seconds left. Fields' step-back three-point attempt from the top of the key at the buzzer hit back iron.  

Quotes & Notes
"Oh man, what a game. Wasn't pretty. Never going to get me to complain about wins and losses anymore after having struggled the past two years. Every win has been great, however we've had a chance to do it, whatever setting it's been in. It's been fun and it's been different guys. Tonight, it was AP with the big shot. Ajiri again with the big rebounds to get us the lead. It's been different guys night in and night out and it's been fun."

"This group is together, on and off the court. I haven't had a closer group in my 11 years of being the Head Coach here. They're for one another. They don't care who wins, who gets the shots, who goes to the free-throw line, who gets the credit. And you saw how they ran out on the court. Those are snapshots that I'll always keep in my head. It's fun to watch your team do those things."  – Rider Head Coach Kevin Baggett

"Just having confidence in myself. And I was on tonight. So, I definitely felt like I wanted the ball in that moment and I made the shot." – Rider senior guard Allen Powell

- Fairfield leads the all-time series with the Broncs, 37-36. The win gives Rider a sweep of this year's season series, following an overtime victory in which Powell hit a buzzer-beater to send it to an extra five minutes.
- Kevin Baggett's teams are 12-10 against the Stags, including a 5-4 mark in games played at Alumni Gym.
- Rider led at the half for the third-straight game after having not held a lead at the break since Jan. 6, a span of six games. Despite the lack of a lead, Rider began its eight-game winning streak with five-straight deficits after 20 minutes.
- Rider's eight-game winning streak is the longest current streak in the MAAC. Niagara's five-game winning streak and Iona's four-game streak are the next-longest.
- The Broncs have won eight-straight games for the second time under Baggett. The other streak came as part of a 10-game winning streak from Jan. 18-Feb. 18, 2018.
- The Broncs are now 7-2 at Alumni Gym this season.

Broncs by the Numbers
- Powell scored a game-high 18 points on 8-of-16 shooting from the floor, including 2-of-7 from long range. He also added a pair of assists.
- Mervin James (St. Thomas, USVI/Pebblebrook [North Alabama]) posted his second-straight double-double, his fourth of the year and the 13^th of his career, with 10 points and 10 rebounds. He shot 4-of-7 from the floor, made 2-of-3 free-throw attempts and grabbed three offensive boards.
- Murray added 11 points on 4-of-11 from the floor and 2-of-5 from long range. He made 1-of-2 free throws and dished out a team-high three assists.
- Ogemuno-Johnson added eight points, 10 rebounds, three blocks and two steals. He made 4-of-5 attempts from the floor.
- Fairfield took a slight 47.9 percent (23-48) to 47.2 percent (25-53) edge from the floor. It marked just the second time the Broncs have been outshot in a league game this season. However, Rider is now 2-0 in those contests.
- The Broncs took a 25.0 percent (4-16) to 21.4 percent (3-14) advantage from long range.
- Fairfield made 72.7 percent (8-11) of its free-throw attempts, while Rider connected on half (4-8) of its chances.
- The Broncs outrebounded Fairfield, 32-23, including an 11-4 margin the offensive boards.
- The only significant specialty-stat discrepancy came on second-chance points, where the Broncs enjoyed a 15-5 advantage.

Up Next
After an idle Sunday, the Broncs return to action next Friday, when they play host to Canisius. Tip from Alumni Gym is scheduled for 7 p.m. on ESPN+.