PHILADELPHIA – Zion Cruz (Trenton, NJ/Donda [DePaul/Pratt CC]) had a season-high 16 points and seven rebounds, but the Rider University men's basketball team fell at Penn, 79-66, Friday night at The Palestra. With the loss, the Broncs fall to 4-8, while the Quakers improved to 4-7.

Penn never trailed in the game, creating first-half separation with a 12-2 run to turn a 24-19 advantage into a 15-point cushion at the 3:45 mark. The Quakers took a 41-29 advantage into the locker room at halftime. T.J. Weeks Jr. (Warwick, RI/Bishop Hendricken Catholic [UMass]) and Cruz led Rider with nine points apiece at the break.

The Broncs twice cut the deficit to eight in the second half, but could draw no closer.

Quotes & Notes
"A lot of it was self-inflicted. We make mistakes on offense and defense. Too many breakdowns. Things that we work on in practice, things we watch on film. Things we talk about all the time. It's not registering with this team yet. It's not ingrained in them yet." – Rider Head Coach Kevin Baggett

- Rider and Penn renewed their local rivalry last season, with the Quakers taking a 77-73 overtime victory at Alumni Gym. Tonight's Penn win closed Rider's lead in the series to 4-3.
 
Broncs by the Numbers
- Cruz made 7-of-14 attempts from the floor, including 2-of-5 from long range.
- Weeks Jr. added 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting, including 2-of-7 from long range. He also went 1-of-2 from the free-throw line, dished out three assists and blocked two shots.
- Tariq Ingraham (Philadelphia, PA/Bonner-Prendergast [Wake Forest]) also finished in double figures with 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the floor and 1-of-2 from the free-throw line. He grabbed a team-high eight rebounds and added two assists and a block.
- Jay Alvarez (Waynesboro, PA/Waynesboro Area [Houston Christian]) and Flash Burton (Philadelphia, PA/Cardinal O'Hara) chipped in with seven points apiece.
- Andre Young (Mableton, GA/Pebblebrook [Troy/Gulf Coast State Coll.]) contributed a team-high two steals.
- The Quakers outshot the Broncs, 52.5 percent (32-61) to 39.4 percent (28-71), including a 45.8 percent (11-24) to 38.1 percent (8-21) edge from beyond the three-point arc.
- Both teams shot 50.0 percent from the free-throw line, with Rider making 2-of-4 to Penn's 4-of-8.
- Penn took a 40-34 edge on the glass, in spite of Rider's 14-11 advantage on the offensive boards.
- Penn enjoyed a 40-28 edge in points in the paint.
- The Broncs outscored the Quakers, 11-2 off turnovers and 15-5 on second chances.
- Penn's bench outscored that of Rider, 24-14.
- Penn scored on the first possession of the game and never trailed, accounting for 39:42 of game time with the advantage.  

Up Next
The Broncs return to action Sunday, when they travel to North Carolina State. Tipoff from Raleigh, NC, is scheduled for 4 p.m. on ACC Network.