LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – The Rider University women's basketball team was defeated, 84-58, by Fairfield Friday night. The Broncs fall to 2-8 on the season, while the Stags improve to 7-3 on the year. The game was the MAAC opener for both sides.
 
After the Stags jumped out to a 9-4 lead, the Broncs countered with a 10-4 run, capped by back-to-back buckets from Deb Okechukwu (Washington, DC/Archbishop Carroll [Harcum CC/CCBC – Essex]) to lead 14-13 at the end of the first quarter.
 
Fairfield would take the lead back early in the second before Aliya McIver (White Plains, NY/White Plains) hit threes on back-to-back Rider possessions, giving the Broncs a two-point lead with each bucket. The Stags would tie the game again 20-20 when Aina Perez Mesquida (Manacor, Spain/IES CTEIB) got a layup to fall to put the Broncs back on top. Trailing 23-22, Okechukwu delivered an old-fashioned three-point play. The Stags took the lead back with a three and Perez Mesquida hit a pull-up jumper to give Rider a 27-26 lead with 4:26 to play in the first half. The Stags would then make the game's decisive run, closing the half on a 16-0 run to go into the locker room with a 42-27 run.
 
A quick basket to begin the third extended the run to 18-0, and the teams would trade scores for the majority of the third quarter before a three late in the quarter put Fairfield ahead 62-43.
 
Kristina Ekofo (Brussels, Belgium/ Établissement Des Soeurs De Notre Dame[North Dakota State University/Northeastern Oklahoma A&M]) and Perez Mesquida scored early in the fourth, trimming the deficit to 17, but a 10-0 run by the Stags put the game away.
 
Quotes & Notes
"I thought we competed. That's what we asked our players to do, and I thought we did that for 40 minutes. Obviously, they're a great team, and they've been the team to beat for a few years now for a reason. Never pleased with a loss, but definitely pleased with our effort from start to finish. [Turnovers} are something that we're emphasizing. We had 14 turnovers in the first half, but we only had four in the second half, so there was an improvement there. We hope to clean things up moving forward and improve on each game." – Head Coach Jackie Hartzell
 
- Fairfield's lead in the all-time series is extended to 51-13.
- McIver led the Broncs with 13 points, reaching double figures for the sixth time this season.
- Ekofo scored double digits for the eighth time this season, finishing with 12.
- Perez Mesquida added 10 points to finish in double figures for the second-straight game.
 
Broncs By The Numbers
- Rider shot 43.6% (24-55) from the field, and 22.2% from three (4-18). The Stags shot 50.8% (31-61) from the field and 36.7% (11-30) from three.
- The Broncs had nine assists on their 24 made baskets, led by four from Ekofo.
- Rider held a 31-28 rebounding edge, including an 8-7 advantage on the offensive boards. McIver led Rider with seven rebounds.
 
Up Next
The Broncs are on the road Sunday, taking on Sacred Heart 2 p.m.