LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – The Rider University women's basketball team led by as many as 10 points with 1:30 remaining in the third quarter, but ultimately fell 59-54 to Quinnipiac Saturday night. The Broncs fall to 7-19 overall and 4-13 in MAAC play. The Bobcats improve to 19-7 on the season and 14-3 in MAAC play.
 
The Broncs continued to start inside as Raphaela Toussaint (Kingston, Ontario/Lincoln Prep) and Victoria Toomey (Dunmore, PA/Dunmore) combined for 11 of Rider's 13 first quarter points as Quinnipiac led 17-13 after one.
 
After getting the last bucket in the first, Quinnipiac scored six more to open the second, building a 23-13 lead, their largest of the contest. Down 25-16, Makayla Firebaugh (Winchester, VA/James Wood) drained a three that started a 9-2 run, then Jessika Schiffer (Iserlohn, Germany/Deutschhaus Gymnasium Würzburg) beat the halftime buzzer with a three to cut the deficit to 29-28 at the half.
 
Early in the third, Shiffer and Toussaint hit back-to-back threes to put Rider up 34-31, its first lead since 4-2. Tied 36-36, Rider went on a 9-0 run capped by a Schiffer three. Less than a minute later, Firebaugh would score to make it 47-37, the Broncs largest lead of the contest. They would lead 47-41 entering the fourth.
 
Down 52-46 with 4:35 remaining, the Bobcats went on a 10-0 run, including a Mikala Morris layup with 2:34 to play that gave Quinnipiac a lead they would not lose. Rider got a Firebaugh floater with 47 seconds remaining and forced a turnover to get the ball back down 56-54, but an entry pass to Toomey was deflected by a Bobcat before grazing Toomey's fingers and the Bobcats knocked down free throws to secure the win.
           
Quotes & Notes
"I'm disappointed. We played a really good game against a very good team. We played extremely well for a majority of the game. We had a couple too many turnovers in that fourth quarter, and they were just chipping away at the lead and we didn't execute."
 
"I don't believe in moral victories. I hate losing, whether it's to UCONN, Quinnipiac, or a school up the street. A loss is a loss. We played good enough to win, but came up short. We'll learn from it and grow from it."
 
"We were up for the challenge tonight. Our preparation was on point with a one day prep for a really good team. We just came up short." – Head Coach Lynn Milligan
 
 
"We just needed to see the ball go through the hoop, and once we saw that, we were like, this is it."
 
"We needed to get stops and rebounds, and we needed to execute. Unfortunately, we weren't able to get stops." – Junior Guard Makayla Firebaugh
 
"We just get back in the gym Monday and go right back to work. I think we made good strides and coaches like this time of year to be peaking."
 
"There were plays down the stretch where we made it easier for them to execute. We definitely shot ourselves in the foot on a few plays. That's on us. We have to be better." – Senior Forward Victoria Toomey
 
 
- The Bobcats lead the all-time series 20-4 and have taken four straight from the Broncs.
- Toussaint led all scorers with 16 points, her team-leading 18^th game in double figures, and she added 10 boards for her fifth double-double.
- Schiffer scored in double figures for the seventh time this year with 15. Toomey reached double figures for the 10^th time this year, finishing with 14.

Broncs By The Numbers
- Rider shot 48.9% (22-45) from the field, and 35.3% (6-17) from three. The Bobcats shot 44.0% (22-50) from the floor, and went 25.0% (4-16) from behind the arc.
- Both teams grabbed 26 rebounds, but Quinnipiac held an 11-5 lead in offensive boards. Toussaint's 10 boards paced the Broncs.
- The Broncs had 16 assists on their 22 made baskets, led by seven from Amanda Mobley (Coopersburg, PA/Southern Lehigh).
 
Up Next
- Rider closes out its four-game home stand Thursday when the Broncs host Mount St. Mary's in a nationally televised game on ESPNU at 11 a.m.