LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – The Rider University men's basketball team used a 14-1 run to trim a 15-point second-half deficit to two, but fell to Bucknell, 51-38, Tuesday night at Alumni Gym. With the loss, the Broncs fall to 1-8, while the Bison improve to 3-9.

The Bison scored the game's first four points and never trailed. The Broncs closed to within one, 9-8, on consecutive Antwan Wilson (Salisbury, MD/Wicomico [UMES/Weatherford]) three-pointers, before Bucknell created separation with a 7-0 run. The Broncs scored the next five on an AB Coulibaly (Philadelphia, PA/West Philadelphia/Avon Old Farms) triple and a Mohamad Diallo (Decatur, GA/Southwest Dekalb [Fla. Memorial]) post move to cut the deficit to 16-13 with 9:03 remaining in the period. Bucknell closed the half with 10 of the final 13 points to take a 26-16 lead into the break. Wilson's six points (2-for-2 3ptFG) led Rider in the period.

Bucknell extended the lead to 15 with seven of the first nine points in the second half, before the Broncs rattled off 10 straight as part of a 14-1 run, capped by Kristupas Kepezinskas' (Kaunas, Lithuania/Ugnes Karvelis) Euro step at the 8:34 mark, cutting the deficit to 34-32. But Bucknell would respond with a 12-2 run to put the game away.  

Quotes & Notes
"Got to find a way to execute better when you get back in the game. Got to find a way to execute. Too many guys tried to be the hero tonight. Too many turnovers. Too many breakdowns."

(On the 14-1 run) "Our guys battled. They really got after the ball. We started to press. We tried to force tempo, tried to get into the ball more, made them speed up and made them take shots… they weren't able to get into their offense when we were trying to pressure them and get after them."

"We had three assists tonight. This is unheard of with my teams. This is unheard of. We've got to have better point guard play from all of our point guards, for that matter, and from our team. And we will These guys are fighting." – Rider Head Coach Kevin Baggett

"I think when we get a little pressure, we tend to start playing one-on-one. I think if we keep swinging the ball, we'll find the right shot. Every time we swung the ball, we got a good shot, a shot we wanted." – Rider junior guard Caleb Smith

- Bucknell now leads the all-time series with the Broncs, 32-27. The Broncs had won the last two meetings - last Nov. 23 in Lewisburg and a Cancun Challenge game on Nov. 24, 2021.

Broncs by the Numbers
- Wilson led the Broncs with seven points on 2-of-3 from long range and 1-of-2 from the free-throw line.
- Smith contributed six points on 3-of-6 from the floor and grabbed eight rebounds.
- Shemani Fuller (Bronx, NY/Cardinal Hayes [Clark Atlanta]) matched Smith's eight rebounds, while scoring two points and blocking a shot.
- Davis Bynum (O'Fallon, IL/East St. Louis [Cal St. Fullerton]) gave the Broncs good minutes, contributing six points, four rebounds and three blocks in 13 minutes, all in the second half.
- Kepezinskas chipped in with five points, two rebounds, an assist and a steal.
- Jamir McNeil (Cape May Courthouse, NJ/Middle Township) added four points on 2-of-3 from the floor, while adding a steal.
- For the game, the Bison outshot the Broncs, 37.7 percent (20-53) to 34.0 percent (16-47) from the floor.
- Rider edged Bucknell from long range, 23.1 percent (3-13) to 20.8 percent (5-24).
- Bucknell shot 75.0 percent (6-8) from the free-throw line to the Broncs' 33.3 percent (3-9).
- The Bison took a 35-32 edge on the glass.
- Bucknell outscored Rider, 30-18, in the paint and 14-6 off turnovers.
- Rider's bench contributed 20 points to Bucknell's 16.
- Bucknell never trailed and led for 39:45 of game time.

Up Next
The Broncs return to non-conference play next Tuesday, Dec. 16, when they travel to Delaware. Tip-off from Bob Carpenter Center in Newark, DE, is scheduled for 7 p.m. on ESPN+.