Women's Basketball
Thursday, February 9, 2023
Rider Broncs (5-17, 2-11 MAAC) vs. Marist Red Foxes (10-11, 8-4 MAAC)
Location: Poughkeepsie, NY (McCann Arena)
Tip: 7:00 p.m.
Live Stats: GoRedFoxes.com
Broadcast: ESPN3
Twitter: @RiderWBB
 
 
What You Need To Know
- Thursday night's game will be broadcast on ESPN3.
 
- Thursday's game will be the final game of a four-game road trip for the Broncs.
 
- Last time out, Molly Lynch (Sea Girt, NJ/Rutgers Prep) made her first career start and the Broncs were tied with Fairfield 24-24 at the half before the Stags pulled away in the second half for a 62-49 victory.
 
- Amanda Mobley (Coopersburg, PA/Southern Lehigh) currently leads the MAAC and ranks 15^th nationally at 5.9 assists per game. She set her career-high with 12 assists at Canisius, then tied that mark against Saint Peter's.
 
- Rider went 1-1 at the MAAC/ASUN Challenge, defeating North Florida 76-67 before falling to Eastern Kentucky 85-64. Makayla Firebaugh (Winchester, VA/James Wood) averaged 21.0 points and 5.0 rebounds while shooting 55.0% from behind the arc to earn MAAC Player of the Week honors.
 
- At the MAAC/ASUN Challenge, Maya Hyacienth (Nottingham, United Kingdom/City of London Academy) drained six threes across the pair of games. She has 12 triples on the season.
 
- Rider was picked to finish tied for sixth in the MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Broncs return four starters and all but three members of last year's team.
 
- Firebaugh was named Preseason Third-Team All-MAAC. The 2020-21 MAAC Co-Rookie of the Year averaged 11.0 points and 4.4 rebounds per game last season. Her 31 points against Niagara were the most in a single game by any player in the MAAC last season.
 
- Rider is one of just nine teams in Division I without a true freshman on the roster. They just faced one of the other nine teams at the MAAC/ASUN Challenge when the Broncs battled Eastern Kentucky. The remaining seven teams are Charlotte, Coastal Carolina, CSUN, Gonzaga, Green Bay, Norfolk St, and Valpo. The Broncs are one of just five teams that returns 12 or more players from last season's roster, joining Columbia, Western Michigan, Liberty, and Weber State.
 
- Rider has made the MAAC Semifinals in five of the last six seasons. The Broncs were named MAAC Champions for 2019-20 for the first time in program history.
 
- Raphaela Toussaint (Kingston, Ontario/Lincoln Prep) led the Broncs with five double-doubles last season. She earned her first double-double of the season against North Florida with 13 points and 13 rebounds, and posted 10 points and 10 rebounds against Fairfield for her second.
 
- Nearly two-thirds of Jessika Schiffer's (Iserlohn, Germany/Deutschhaus Gymnasium Würzburg) shots last season (179-277) came from three-point range. 127 of her 190 shots this season have come from deep. Schiffer scored a season-high 19 points against Lehigh.
 
- ToniRenee Blanford (Montclair, NJ/The Patrick School[Union College]) scored a season-high 11 points and added a season-high eight rebounds at Seton Hall.
 
- It will be the end of an era when head coach Brian Giorgis' 20-plus year tenure as head coach of the Red Foxes comes to an end after the season, during which the Red Foxes have built a 47-19 all-time series lead. The Broncs defeated Marist in Poughkeepsie last year, but Marist returned the favor in Alumni Gym. Makayla Firebaugh led Rider with 14 points and nine rebounds in the victory at Marist last season.
 
- The Red Foxes sit squarely in the middle of the MAAC table, sitting at 6-6 in conference play and 10-11 overall. Zaria Shazer has led Marist this season, topping the team at 15.3 points per game and 7.3 rebounds per game.