NEW ROCHELLE, NY – The Rider University women's basketball team was defeated on Kids Day at Iona, 84-53. The Broncs fall to 3-14 overall and 1-7 in MAAC play, while the Gaels improve to 7-11 on the season and 5-3 in league play.
 
The Broncs started strong, with Gabby Turco (Wildwood, NJ/Wildwood Crest[La Salle/Saint Anselm]) scoring the game's first five points. The Gaels quickly countered, taking a 9-8 lead and the teams traded blows for the remainder of the quarter with Iona eventually taking a 17-15 lead following after the opening 10 minutes.
 
Early in the second, Aliya McIver (White Plains, NY/White Plains) hit a three to trim the Gaels lead to just 22-21, then a three by Kaylan Deveney (Medford, NJ/Life Center Academy) later in the quarter had Iona ahead just 30-26 before Iona ended the half on a 12-4 run to go into the locker room with a 42-30 advantage.
 
In the second half, the Gaels pulled away, outscoring the Broncs 22-12 in the third quarter, then using a 12-0 run early in the fourth to put the game out of reach.
 
Quotes & Notes
"Tough road loss. The defense was a step slow today, and credit to Iona they stepped up and made shots. Offensively, we shot the ball ok, but our free throws held us back." – Head Coach Lynn Milligan
 
- Iona extends its lead in the all-time series to 35-27.
- Turco scored a team-high 13 points to reach double figures for the 12^th time this year.
 
Broncs By The Numbers
- Rider shot 40.8% (20-49) from the field, and 42.7% (3-7) from three. The Gaels shot 48.4% (30-62) from the field and 54.5% (12-22) from three.
- The Broncs had 16 assists on their 20 made baskets, led by four from Emmy Roach (Littlehampton, NJ/Heathfield).
- Iona had a 41-23 advantage on the glass, including a 16-6 edge in offensive rebounds. Five Broncs finished with a team-high three rebounds in the contest.
 
Up Next
Rider is back at home Saturday to take on Quinnipiac at 2 p.m.