ATLANTIC CITY, NJ – Mervin James (St. Thomas, USVI/Pebblebrook [North Alabama]), Zahrion Blue (Princeton, NJ/Princeton [Lincoln (Pa.)]) and Dwight Murray, Jr. (Austell, GA/Pebblebrook [Incarnate Word]) each scored in double figures, but the second-seeded Rider University men's basketball team fell to 10^th-seeded Saint Peter's, 70-62, Wednesday night at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall. With the loss, the Broncs end their season at 16-14, while the Peacocks (14-17) advance to the semifinals to face the winner of tomorrow's game between No. 3 Quinnipiac and No. 11 Marist.

The first half was a story of runs, with Saint Peter's beginning the game with the first seven points, before the Broncs later scored seven-straight to take their first lead at 12-11. A 12-0 Rider run, including five points from Blue pushed the Broncs' lead to its largest point, 32-23, at the 3:38 mark. But Saint Peter's would score 12 of the final 14 points in the period to take a 35-34 edge at the break and never trailed again. James led the Broncs with 11 first-half points.

Saint Peter's quickly upped its lead to seven points in the first three minutes of the second half and led by nine at the midway point of the period. A 7-1 Rider spurt with Corey McKeithan (Windsor, CT/Windsor) scoring three points from the free-throw line helped whittle the deficit down to three by the 6:47 mark and Rider pulled to within one on Allen Betrand's (Philadelphia, PA/Roman Catholic [Towson/Rhode Island]) putback at the 4:46 mark. The teams traded a pair of Saint Peter's free throws and a James lay-up to leave the deficit at one at the 3:56 mark. But Saint Peter's pulled away with a pair of three-pointers on their next two possessions.

Quotes & Notes
"I thought we did some good things in the first half. It got away from us at halftime. They outplayed us. They outtoughed us. They were more physical. In the second half, we didn't execute or play well at all." – Rider Head Coach Kevin Baggett

- Rider is 17-25 all-time in the MAAC Tournament. This is the fifth time the Broncs are the No. 2 seed. Rider has not fared well in that position, now falling on four occasions (1998, 2013, 2015, 2023) in the quarterfinals, while also advancing to the Championship game in 2005 for a 2-4 record as the second seed.
- The Broncs had won at least one game in each of the past two MAAC Championships played in Atlantic City in which they actually took the court. The third-seeded Broncs didn't get the chance to play due to COVID-19 in 2020. The 11th-seeded Broncs earned a win over sixth-seeded Canisius in the 2021 Opening Round, before the No. 9 Broncs defeated No. 8 Manhattan in the Opening Round and No. 1 Iona in the Quarterfinals last season.
- Rider has faced Saint Peter's at MAAC Championships more than any other team and is 3-7 all-time against the Peacocks. Seven of the meetings have come in the quarterfinals, with Saint Peter's taking a 5-2 advantage in those games.
- Overall, the Broncs lead the all-time series with Saint Peter's, 42-35, including a 15-11 mark under Head Coach Kevin Baggett. The Broncs swept the regular-season series against the Peacocks and had won three straight against Saint Peter's.  
- Ajiri Ogemuno-Johnson (Delta State, Nigeria/Bonner-Prendergast) finishes his career with a program-record 137 games played.
- The Broncs was 0-3 this season in neutral-court games, having lost their only other neutral-site games this season at the MAAC/ASUN Dublin Classic.  

Broncs by the Numbers
- James made 6-of-11 field goals and 1-of-2 free throws for 13 points. He also grabbed four rebounds and dished out two assists.  
- Blue was 3-of-7 from the floor, including 1-of-2 from long range, and made 5-of-6 free-throw attempts for 12 points. He also grabbed four rebounds and made a steal.  
- Murray shot 4-of-11 from the floor, including 2-for-3 from long range. He grabbed four rebounds, dished out three assists and made a steal. He passed Lee Nesmith for 11^th all-time at Rider in assists, finishing his career with 332.
- Tariq Ingraham (Philadelphia, PA/Bonner-Prendergast [Wake Forest]), Betrand and McKeithan scored seven points apiece. Ingraham dished out a career-high four assists, while Betrand blocked a team-high two shots.
- Saint Peter's outshot Rider, 50.0 percent (24-48) to 42.9 percent (24-56) from the floor, including a 42.9 percent (6-14) to 33.3 percent (4-12) edge from long range.
- The Peacocks also took an 80.0 percent (16-20) to 71.4 percent (10-14) edge from the free-throw line.
- Rider outrebounded Saint Peter's, 32-27, including a 14-8 edge on the offensive glass.