NEW ROCHELLE, NY – Five Broncs scored in double figures, led by Zion Cruz (Trenton, NJ/Donda [DePaul/Pratt CC]) with 18 and Ruben Rodriguez (Reading, PA/Reading) put Rider on top for good on a drive with 45 seconds remaining as the Rider University men's basketball team earned a 74-71 win at Iona Friday night at Hynes Athletic Center. With the win, the Broncs (10-15, 6-8 MAAC) snapped Iona's (11-14, 8-6 MAAC) three-game winning streak.

The Gaels created separation with a 19-3 run to turn a 16-13 Rider lead into a 32-19 Iona advantage at the 6:35 mark. The Broncs battled back to within two with a 14-3 run of their own, getting seven points from Zion Cruz (Trenton, NJ/Donda [DePaul/Pratt CC]) and four from Tariq Ingraham (Philadelphia, PA/Bonner-Prendergast [Wake Forest]) in the spurt to make it a 35-33 deficit at the two-minute mark. But the Gaels answered with 10 of the final 13 points in the period to take a 45-36 edge into the locker room at halftime. Cruz led Rider with 14 points in the period. Iona shot 51.6 percent (16-31) in the first half, including 9-of-17 (.529) from beyond the three-point arc.

The Gaels' lead swelled to 13, 53-40, on a Luke Jungers bucket with 16:17 remaining, before the Broncs went on an 11-0 run, sparked by a Rodriguez pull-up jumper at the 16-minute mark. Rodriguez had four points in the run, in which four different Broncs scored to cut the Iona lead to 53-51 with 10:20 left. After Iona rebuilt a five-point lead, T.J. Weeks Jr. (Warwick, RI/Bishop Hendricken Catholic [UMass]) put the team on his back with an individual 8-0 run to give Rider its first lead since less than 9:30 into the first half with a three-point play at the 6:56 mark of the second. The run extended Rider's lead to 60-57 with 6:05 remaining.

Iona wouldn't go away however, on three times retaking a one-point lead, the last on an Adam Njie Jr. bucket in the paint with 59 seconds left. But, pressured at the midcourt stripe, Rodriguez beat Njie Jr., got into the lane and finished with the right hand to put Rider on top for good. The Broncs forced an Njie Jr. miss, Rodriguez made 1-of-2 free throws and, after he missed the second, Weeks Jr. got the offensive rebound and also made 1-of-2 to give Rider a 72-69 advantage. The lead moved to four on 1-of-2 Cruz free throws, Njie Jr. got inside for two with 7.7 seconds remaining and Tank Byard (Atlantic City, NJ/Atlantic City [Alcorn State]) made 1-of-2 free throws to make it a 74-71 Rider lead. Kernan Bundy got a three off before the final horn, but it would not fall and the Broncs secured the win.

Quotes & Notes
"It is a big win. It's a big road win. We made free throws. We didn't make them all, but we at least made enough to get back in the game. I thought we did a good job defensively at the end of the game, which we've been struggling with."

(On Iona's attempt to tie the game in the final moments) "When that ball bounced on the rim for about an hour before the game was over, I thought the basketball Gods were on our side again, so I'm thankful."

(On second half defensive adjustments) "Just talking about not leaving those two guys open. Seven and three. I just kept saying, "seven and three. Seven and three. We can't leave them open. Two's over three's." We talk about it all the time. I thought our guys did a really good job of focusing on that in the second half and not overhelping on the dribble penetration."

(On Ruben Rodriguez making the go-ahead bucket in the final minute) "That's the Ruben that we saw. That's the Ruben we thought we were going to have all year long. But, OK, we're here. He's playing with a lot of confidence. Took some big shots. We just talked about taking what the defense gives you. Believing it. Ruben's too good of a player." – Rider Head Coach Kevin Baggett

- Rider is 9-1 this season when holding the opposition to fewer than 72 points.
- Iona took the first game of this year's series, 73-67, Jan. 25 at Alumni Gym. With the split, the Gaels now lead the all-time series, 47-30.
- The Broncs' last win at Hynes Athletic Center came Jan. 25, 2023, when Rider snapped the Gaels' 21-game home winning streak, erasing a double-digit second-half deficit (18 with less than 16 minutes remaining) in that game as well.
- Rider is now 6-4 this season in games decided by five points or fewer and improved to 4-4 in MAAC games decided by five or fewer.
- Nine of Rider's 14 MAAC games have been within one possession in the final minute, with the Broncs posting a 4-5 record in those contests.
- The Broncs shortened the rotation, with just eight players entering the game and only seven playing more than two minutes.  
 
Broncs by the Numbers
- Cruz scored 18 points on 6-of-13 shooting, including 3-of-6 from long range. He also made 3-of-6 from the free-throw line. He added four rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocked shots.
- Weeks Jr. added 17 points on 5-of-12 from the floor and 7-of-8 from the free-throw line. He added a team-high eight rebounds to go along with four assists.
- Rodriguez and Byard added 11 points apiece, with Rodriguez making all four of his attempts from the floor and 3-of-4 from the free-throw line. He also had a team-high five assists, made a steal and blocked a shot.
- Byard made 4-of-6 from the floor and 3-of-4 from the free-throw line.
- Ingraham added 10 points and matched Weeks Jr.'s team-high eight rebounds. He also blocked a shot.
- For the game, the Gaels took a 44.6 percent (29-65) to 42.1 percent (24-57) edge from the floor, including a 34.6 percent (9-26) to 27.3 percent (3-11) advantage from beyond the arc. However, the Gaels were held without a triple on nine attempts in the second half.
- Rider took a 76.7 percent (23-30) to 50.0 percent (4-8) edge from the free-throw line.
- The Broncs outrebounded Iona, 42-31, including a 14-9 edge on the offensive glass.
- Iona took advantages of 40-28 (points in the paint), 18-13 (points off turnovers), 14-5 (second-chance points), 12-8 (fast-break points).
- Rider's bench outscored that of Iona, 22-5.
- Iona led for 27:19 of game time to Rider's 11:22 with a lead.
- The game featured 14 lead changes and five ties.
- Rider's largest lead of the game was four to Iona's 13-point advantage.

Up Next
The Broncs return to action Sunday afternoon, when they travel to Saint Peter's. Opening tip from Jersey City is scheduled for 2 p.m. on ESPN+.