BROOKLYN, NY – The Rider University women's basketball team played stifling defense Tuesday night, defeating LIU, 58-43. The Broncs improve to 2-5 on the season, while the Sharks fall to 4-3 on the year.
 
The Broncs opened the game on 9-2 run, led by five points from Kristina Ekofo (Brussels, Belgium/ Établissement Des Soeurs De Notre Dame[North Dakota State University/Northeastern Oklahoma A&M]). The Sharks responded with seven-straight to tie the game, but Rider led 14-13 after the opening quarter.
 
Rider opened the second with back-to-back buckets from Aliya McIver (White Plains, NY/White Plains) and Aina Perez Mesquida (Manacor, Spain/IES CTEIB) extended the Rider lead to five, but with Rider leading 24-20 late in the quarter, LIU closed out the half with a 6-0 run to lead 26-24 at the break.
 
Rider caught fire out of the half, going 4-for-5 from behind the arc to start the third quarter, including three triples from Emmy Roach (Littlehampton, Australia/Heathfield). Leading 33-31, it was a 10-0 Rider run, capped by the third of Roach's threes that extended the lead to double digits. A 6-0 run from LIU got the game back within single digits, but Rider maintained a 47-39 lead after three quarters.
 
The Broncs locked in on the defensive end in the fourth, holding the Sharks without a point for over eight and a half minutes to start the quarter, extending the lead to 56-39 with a 9-0 run for the game's largest lead, cruising to the win.
 
Quotes & Notes
"We played a great second half after not shooting the ball very well in the first half. We showed a lot of toughness and did a lot of little things to win the game. I think we just stepped up our team defense collectively. We just committed to getting stops, and we did a great job of rebounding."
 
"Emmy's just getting better every game. She puts a lot of time in the gym, so it's really rewarding to see her success. She just works really hard and just keeps getting better, so we're excited to see her continue to improve." – Head Coach Jackie Hartzell
 
"I think they were definitely giving us shots in the first and second quarter, so we kind of knew we had to start hitting them. We had to shoot with confidence. The team got us open shots, and that's most important thing. I'm grateful they trust me to shoot them and make them, and it was a big team effort. It's a really good style of play that we're doing, and it works well for how I like to play, which is definitely helping. And honestly, my team just gets me the ball, they set me up, they trust me. I think it's all credit to them." – Sophomore Guard Emmy Roach

- Rider extends its lead in the all-time series to 2-0.
- Roach led Rider with a career-high 19 points, scoring in double figures for the fourth time this season.
- Deb Okechukwu (Washington, DC/Archbishop Carroll [Harcum CC/CCBC – Essex]) finished with 12 points to reach double figures for the third time this season.
- Ekofo added 11 points, scoring double digits for the sixth time this season.
- Perez Mesquida led the Broncs with a career-high 12 rebounds, reaching double figures for the first time this season.
- McIver added 10 boards to reach double digits for the first time this season.
 
Broncs By The Numbers
- Rider shot 35.9% (23-64) from the field, and 17.9% from three (5-28). The Sharks shot 26.9% (14-52) from the field and 5.6% (1-18) from three.
- The Broncs had 19 assists on their 23 made baskets, led by six from Perez Mesquida.
- Rider held a 47-31 lead on the boards, including a 13-6 edge on the offensive glass.
 
Up Next
The Broncs return home for the first time since the season opener Saturday to host Yale at 2 p.m.