LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – Behind a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds from Raphaela Toussaint (Kingston, Ontario/Lincoln Prep) the Rider University women's basketball team defeated Saint Peter's 63-53 Thursday night in Alumni Gym. The Broncs improve to 7-18 on the season, and 4-12 in MAAC play. The Peacocks fall to 0-25 on the year, and 0-16 in league play.
 
The Broncs got off to a strong start as Toussaint and Victoria Toomey (Dunmore, PA/Dunmore) combined to get Rider a 10-5 lead midway through the first. The Broncs would lead 13-10 after one.
 
Molly Lynch (Sea Girt, NJ/Rutgers Prep) drained a three-pointer to open the second, and Toomey added a bucket made the run 8-0 dating back to the first quarter. Leading 23-16, the Broncs extended the lead with back-to-back threes from Jessika Schiffer (Iserlohn, Germany/Deutschhaus Gymnasium Würzburg) and Makayla Firebaugh (Winchester, VA/James Wood), but Saint Peter's would close the half on a 9-2 run and Rider led at the half 31-25.
 
Leading 37-36, Schiffer drained a three that started a 7-0 run allowing the Broncs to lead 44-38 entering the fourth.
 
Up 44-40 early in the fourth, Rider went on a 10-0 run, including threes from Firebaugh and Amanda Mobley (Coopersburg, PA/Southern Lehigh) to pull away and secure the victory.
           
Quotes & Notes
"Pleased with winning on our home floor. That was a big focus for us this week, was understanding the importance of winning home games, something we haven't done on a consistent basis this season."
 
"I'm happy with the way we shared the ball against their zone. It's easy to shoot quick against a zone, and I thought we did a good job moving the ball around. Raphie and Vic got some really good looks early, and our guards did a good job choosing when they were shooting."
 
"I'm old school, I always think inside out. That's a good way to play the game of basketball. When Raphie and Vic are working with our guards, we're a better basketball team." – Head Coach Lynn Milligan
  
"At first, we knew we had the post looks because they were too worried about our guards, but then they started worrying about the post too much and we got our inside, outside looks."
 
"We just keep thinking the score is 0-0. That way, everybody stays locked in and the mentality doesn't change. Because once that happens, it becomes too close of a game when it shouldn't be." – Junior Guard Makayla Firebaugh
 
"I'm just going into every game with the same mentality. We saw our size advantage, so we just tried to use that advantage and dominate."
 
"We really focused on turning defense into offense. We made sure we were locked in on defense." – Junior Forward Raphaela Toussaint
 
 
- Rider wins it's third-straight over the Peacocks and cuts the deficit in the all-time series to 48-28.
- Toussaint posted her fourth double-double of the season with the 18 points and 10 rebounds.
- Firebaugh added 17 points, her 17^th time reaching double figures this season.

Broncs By The Numbers
- Rider shot 49.0% (25-51) from the field, and 33.3% (8-24) from three. The Peacocks shot 42.0% (21-50) from the floor, and were 41.2% (7-17) from behind the arc.
- Saint Peter's held a 29-27 edge on the glass, including a 10-8 lead in offensive boards. Toussaint's 10 boards paced the Broncs.
- The Broncs had 19 assists on their 25 made baskets, led by six from Mobley.
- Mobley added four steals in the game.
 
Up Next
- Rider remains home to continue its four-game home stand Saturday when the Broncs host Quinnipiac at 7 p.m.