NEW ROCHELLE, NY – Freshman DJ Dudley (San Diego, CA/LA Premier Prep) scored 24 of his season-high 28 points in the second half, but the Rider University men's basketball team's second-half comeback at Iona fell just short, 94-93, Sunday afternoon at Hynes Athletic Center. The loss snaps the Broncs' (8-14, 5-6 MAAC) three-game winning streak, while Iona improves to 11-10 (6-4 MAAC) with its third-straight victory.   

A back-and-forth first 20 minutes ended with the score knotted at 38-38. The Broncs built an 11-4 lead in the early going with Corey McKeithan (Windsor, CT/Windsor) scoring five points in the stretch. Iona scored the next eight, sparked by consecutive Wheza Panzo three's to take its first lead of the game, 12-11. Six lead changes later, the Gaels used a 9-0 run to take its largest lead of the period, 34-26, on a Jeremiah Quigley pull-up at the 3:55 mark. But Rider scored the next five and the final five of the first half, including a Dudley step-back baseline jumper at the buzzer to tie the game at 38-38. Seven different Broncs scored at least four points in the period, led by T.J. Weeks Jr. (Warwick, RI/Bishop Hendricken Catholic [UMass]) with eight.

Iona scored 15 of the first 17 points to open the second half and led the rest of the way. The lead swelled to 24 twice, including the 8:21 mark, before the Broncs began to chip away. Dudley shot all of his 14 free-throw attempts in the second half, making 13, including the first nine to get the Broncs moving in the right direction. All told, the Broncs used a 10-0 run, all from the free-throw line, to whittle to within 14, 81-67, by the 5:45 mark.

Seven-straight – a Tariq Ingraham (Philadelphia, PA/Bonner-Prendergast [Wake Forest]) lay-up, two Dudley free throws and a Weeks Jr. three-pointer at the 1:31 mark – cut the Gaels' lead to seven. Weeks Jr. later made another three to cut the deficit to five and was fouled on another triple attempt with six seconds left and made all three from the line to make it a 93-90 deficit. Iona made 1-of-2 from the line with four seconds left to make it a two-possession game, before Dudley buried a three at the buzzer to account for the 94-93 final score.

Quotes & Notes
"When you turn the ball over inbounding and allow that to speed you up and then take quick shots, you play into their hands. They got momentum and then we started fouling a little bit and there was a lot of pushing and shoving and grabbing and everything else going on that frustrated the hell out of me today. It took Mervin out and took a lot of our guys out. We just had to go back and regather our composure and play the way we've been playing of late. That's why we were able to make a run." – Rider Head Coach Kevin Baggett

- Iona pushed its lead in the all-time series with the Broncs, 47-28. Rider won for the first time at the Hynes Athletic Center since 2017 with a 70-67 victory on Jan. 15, 2023, snapping the Gaels' 21-game home winning streak.
- Rider was tied at the half for the third time this season, dropping to 1-2 when knotted after 20 minutes. The Broncs fell at Siena on Dec. 1, before defeating Manhattan on Jan. 12.
- Rider moved to 3-11 on the road. The Broncs had won their last two away from Alumni Gym at Saint Peter's (Jan. 25) and Mount St. Mary's (Jan. 27).

Broncs by the Numbers
- Dudley easily eclipsed his previous season high of 10, established against Immaculata in the Nov. 6 season opener. He made 6-of-11 from the floor, including 3-of-6 from long range, and 13-of-14 from the free-throw line.
- Dudley's 13 made free throws are the most by a Bronc since Stevie Jordan made 13-of-16 at Fairfield on March 1, 2020. Jordan also made 14-of-17 against Marist on Dec. 16, 2019, for the last time a Bronc made more than 13 free throws.
- Ingraham scored a season-high 17 points and grabbed a career-high 18 rebounds, including six on the offensive glass. His previous scoring high was 16 at Delaware, while his previous career high in rebounds was 10, accomplished twice this season. The double-double was his second of the year (Dec. 8 at Stonehill).
- Weeks Jr. finished with 19 points on 6-of-8 shooting, including 4-of-6 from long range, to go along with 3-for-3 from the free-throw line. He also grabbed with rebounds.
- Mervin James (St. Thomas, USVI/Pebblebrook [North Alabama]) added 10 points on 5-of-9 shooting before fouling out in 24 minutes. It was James' 20^th double-digit scoring game this season in 22 chances.
- Allen Powell (Philadelphia, PA/La Salle College H.S.) added eight points and four assists.
- Anthony McCall (Philadelphia, PA/Academy of the New Church) chipped in with six points and a career-high seven rebounds and three assists in 16 minutes off the bench. He was 4-for-4 from the free-throw line. The Broncs were +16 with McCall on the court.
- McKeithan added five points, four rebounds and four assists.
- Rider outshot Iona, 45.9 percent (28-61) to 44.6 percent (29-65) from the floor, including a 41.7 percent (10-24) to 37.0 percent (10-27) edge from beyond the arc.
- The Broncs also outshot Iona, 93.1 percent (27-29) to 68.4 percent (26-38) from the free-throw line.
- Rider dominated the glass, 47-28, including a 15-10 edge on the offensive boards. However, Iona took a 16-14 edge in second-chance points.
- Iona took a 25-4 edge in points off turnovers, forcing 14 Rider cough ups while turning the ball over only three times.
- The Gaels took a 34-22 edge in points in the paint.
- Both teams scored 17 points on fast breaks.
- Rider's bench outscored that of Iona, 34-18.
   
Up Next
The Broncs return to action Thursday, when they travel to Fairfield. Tip-off from Mahoney Arena is scheduled for 7 p.m. on ESPN+.