NORTH ANDOVER, MA – Cole McCabe (Miami Beach, FL/Miami Country Day/IMG Academy) led six Broncs with at least seven points, scoring a team-high 12, but the Rider University men's basketball team fell at Merrimack, 68-66, to open MAAC play Thursday night at Lawler Arena. With the loss, the Broncs fall to 1-6 (0-1 MAAC), while the Warriors improve to 4-6 (1-0 MAAC).

The Broncs scored the first five points of the game and the lead remained five, 17-12, after a Zion Cruz (Trenton, NJ/Donda [DePaul/Pratt CC]) drive at the 12:38 mark of the first. But Merrimack went on an 8-0 run to take its first lead of the game. The Broncs would keep pace with the Warriors, on three occasions tying the game at 25-25, 30-30 and 33-33, before Merrimack scored the final four points of the half to take a 37-33 advantage into the break.

Both teams shot the ball well in the period, with the Broncs taking a 54.5 percent (12-22) to 54.2 percent (13-24) edge from the floor. Rider also outrebounded Merrimack, 15-4. However, nine Rider turnovers resulted in a 13-7 Merrimack edge in points off turnovers in the opening 20 minutes. Cruz and Caleb Smith (Atlanta, GA/Fredrick Douglass [Garden City CC]) led the Broncs with seven points apiece in the period.

The teams exchanged runs early in the second half, with Rider answering the Warriors' 6-0 run with an 8-2 spurt. A second 6-0 run, capped by a Smith putback on a fast break tied the game at 49-49 prior to the midway point of the period. Rider took its first lead of the half on a Mohamad Diallo (Decatur, GA/Southwest Dekalb [Fla. Memorial]) putback at the 7:25 mark and four more lead changes followed. Merrimack took the lead for good on three-straight three-pointers, the last of which put the Warriors on top, 68-60 with 1:20 remaining.

The Broncs didn't go away quietly, however. Kristupas Kepezinskas (Kaunas, Lithuania/Ugnes Karvelis) and Flash Burton (Philadelphia, PA/Cardinal O'Hara) hit consecutive three-pointers to cut the deficit to two with 44 seconds left. After getting a stop with 17 seconds left, Smith got a contested look from point-blank range at the rim, but couldn't get his shot to drop with four seconds left. Merrimack misfired at the free throw line and the Broncs called timeout with less than three seconds remaining. But Rider's full-court pass hit the rafters for a turnover, Merrimack again missed a free throw and Shamani Fuller's (Bronx, NY/Cardinal Hayes [Clark Atlanta]) three-quarter court heave at the buzzer didn't draw iron.

Quotes & Notes
"I thought our guys did a great job. What people don't understand is when you play all those high major games, it's hard to learn a lot out of those. You learn some things about your team, but you don't learn enough. We've not been in this position in the past, this year, with this group. I thought they battled. We missed some lay-ups, we missed some free throws. But I'm proud of our guys. I'm proud of the way that they competed. And even when we got down by (eight) with a minute and something, our guys never hung their heads. They battled back. And give Merrimack some credit. They took some tough late three-pointers and made them." – Rider Head Coach Kevin Baggett

- Merrimack took a 2-1 lead in the all-time series, following a series split last season in which the road team won each game.
- Cruz left the game at the 9:54 mark of the second due to injury and did not return.
- Kepezinskas returned from a four-game absence due to injury.

Broncs by the Numbers
- McCabe led the Broncs with 12 points on 4-of-10 shooting from the floor and 4-for-4 from the free-throw line. He also grabbed four rebounds.
- Burton added 11 points on 5-of-12 shooting, including 1-of-6 from long range. He also grabbed three rebounds, dished out three assists and made three steals.
- Smith narrowly missed a double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds. He also dished out two assists.
- Cruz matched Smith's nine points on 4-of-9 shooting, 1-of-2 from long range, and grabbed five rebounds in 22 minutes.
- Fuller went for seven points and a season-high 12 rebounds. He also blocked two shots.
- Diallo added eight points on 4-for-4 from the floor, while adding two rebounds, an assist, a steal and a block.
- Kepezinskas and Antwan Wilson (Salisbury, MD/Wicomico [UMES/Weatherford]) contributed five points apiece off the bench, with both hitting their only three-point attempts.
- For the game, the Broncs outshot the Warriors, 48.1 percent (26-54) to 46.3 percent (25-54).
- Merrimack took a 37.9 percent (11-29) to 30.8 percent (4-13) from long range and edged the Broncs, 63.6 percent (7-11) to 62.5 percent (10-16) from the free-throw line.
- Rider dominated the boards, 41-18, including a 13-5 edge on the offensive glass.
- Rider turned the rebounding discrepancy into a 34-24 edge in points in the paint and a 16-5 advantage in second-chance points.
- Merrimack turned a 15-8 discrepancy in turnovers into a 23-7 edge in points off turnovers.
- Rider's bench outscored that of Merrimack, 18-0.
- Merrimack led for 25:23 of game time to the Broncs' 10:45 with a lead.

Up Next
The Broncs return to MAAC action Sunday, when they travel to league favorite and defending regular-season champion Quinnipiac. Tip-off from Hamden, CT, is scheduled for 2 p.m. on ESPN+.