ATLANTIC CITY, NJ – The Rider University women's basketball team tied the game 40-40 with 7:13 remaining, but was unable to pull off the upset against top-seeded and 25^th-ranked Fairfield Wednesday afternoon in the MAAC Quarterfinals, falling 57-51. The Broncs close out the season at 10-21, while the Stags improve to 29-1.
 
Following Jessika Schiffer's (Iserlohn, Germany/Deutschhaus Gymnasium Würzburg[Buffalo]) three that even the game at 40-40, the Stags pulled away with a 10-0 run over the next four minutes. The Broncs pulled to within four on three separate occasions in the final minute, but would never get the game to within one possession again.
 
Trailing 6-2 midway through the first quarter, Taylor Langan (Lake Hopatcong, NJ/Jefferson Twp.[Colgate/Millersville]) made a bucket, Schiffer drained a three, then Makayla Firebaugh (Winchester, VA/James Wood) knocked down a shot to give Rider a 9-6 lead and the Broncs led 10-7 after the first.
 
The Stags made their first run of the game to open the second, going on a 10-2 spurt to go ahead 17-12. Leading 20-17, Fairfield closed out the half with a 9-2 run to go into the halftime locker room up 28-19.
 
Down 38-27, the Broncs fought to get back in the game. Schiffer drained a three, then after a Rider free throw, Langan scored an old fashioned three-point play, and Mariona Cos-Morales (Matadepera, Spain/IES Matadepera[Casper College]) made a crafty move past a defender to pull Rider within two at 38-36. The Broncs trailed 40-36 after three quarters before the 4-0 run to start the fourth, capped by Schiffer's game-tying three.
 
Quotes & Notes
"Not the outcome we wanted. We came here with every intention to win this game. There wasn't anybody in the arena that thought we could come in here and win except the young ladies and people in my locker room. We're disappointed because we thought we had the right game plan and doing the right things to pull out the victory."
 
"It's Rider Heart and Soul. It's who we are. It's what we talk about every day. We truly use Atlantic City and the MAAC Championship as a destination all year long. Everybody's goal is to win a MAAC Championship, but it's a destination and to get to a destination you have to believe in the process and you have to take a journey. There's crap that gets in your way, and you wiggle your way through it from July all the way through March, and it's something that we take a lot of pride in that we are ready to play in March." – Head Coach Lynn Milligan
 
"When it comes to tournaments like this, it's whether or not you listen to outside noises saying we shouldn't be here, we can't beat Fairfield. Within our locker room, within our coaching staff, we believe we can come back, we believe we can win. We just fought til the end, and I'm really proud of the group of girls the we had this year." – Graduate Guard Taylor Langan
 
"I've been here for three years and every single year was different, but overall it was a really good experience. This last year was a lot of fun. We started off with a new group, it was super exciting. It didn't go the way we wanted it to, we've all learned so much. We've all grown so much." – Graduate Guard Jessika Schiffer
 
 
- Fairfield wins their third game over the Broncs this season, extending its lead in the all-time series to 47-13.
- Langan scored 12 points to lead Rider. It was Langan's team-leading 23^rd game in double figures this season.
- Schiffer added 11 points off the bench, reaching double digits for the ninth time this year.
- Rider falls for the first time this season (8-1) when holding their opponent under 60 points.

Broncs By The Numbers
- Rider shot 41.9% (18-43) from the field, and 46.7% (7-15) from three, and the Stags shot 37.3% (22-59) from the field and 14.3% (4-28) from three.
- The Broncs had 13 assists on their 18 made baskets, led by four from Langan.
- Rider was outrebounded by Fairfield, 36-28, including a 15-5 advantage for the Stags on the offensive glass. Cos-Morales led Rider with six rebounds.
- Cos-Morales led the defensive effort with five steals.