LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – The Rider University women's basketball team was defeated down the stretch Saturday afternoon, falling to Saint Peter's, 55-54. The Broncs drop to 6-18 overall and 4-11 in MAAC play, while the Peacocks improve to 8-15 on the season and 6-8 in league play.
With Rider leading 5-4, the Peacocks scored five-straight points and would lead 12-10 after the first despite seven points from
Gabby Turco (Wildwood, NJ/Wildwood Crest[La Salle/Saint Anselm]) in the opening frame.
Following a three by
Camryn Collins (Foxboro, MA/Foxboro) that tied the game 19-19 midway through the second, Saint Peter's closed out the half on an 11-4 run to take a 30-23 lead into the locker room.
The Peacocks would extend the lead to as large as 12 in the third quarter, but Trailing 46-34, Rider closed out the frame with a
Jocelyn Chavez (Surprise, AZ/Valley Vista) three and a pair of free throws to enter the fourth trailing 46-39.
Down 48-41, Rider went on an 8-0 run capped by a Collins mid-range jumper to go ahead 49-48 with 1:29 remaining. Following a Peacock three, Turco found
Emmy Roach (Littlehampton, Australia/Heathfield) to tie the game once again at 51-51. The Broncs played solid defense, but with the shot clock running down, the Peacocks hit a three, but Rider responded with a Turco three to tie the game with 5.4 second remaining. The Peacocks were fouled while shooting on the ensuing possession and made one-of-two at the line before the Broncs final attempt drew iron as the game clock expired.
Quotes & Notes
"It's a tough one. This time of year, you have to win home games. The second quarter is what got to us. Credit to Saint Peter's, they stuck with their game plan. They got the ball to their best player, and she made a play at the end of the game."
"I'm not going to second guess our effort. We've stuck with our process all year. We play young, and these are lessons that are going to help us out in the future. You play most of the game with three freshmen on the floor. These young players are only going to benefit from situations like this."
– Head Coach Lynn Milligan
"We all feed off each other's energy, we found the open shots, and we found what worked for us in the moment. We just need to stay composed. We do a lot of this in practice, so just translating it from practice to game, and doing what we know how to do."
– Freshman Guard Camryn Collins
"My teammates and my coaches instill a lot of confidence in us. We play with the mindset play together, stay together, and when my number gets called, it might be two minutes it might be 30 minutes, but you have to be ready for it."
– Freshman Forward Emmy Roach
- Saint Peter's earns the regular season split and leads the all-time series 50-30.
- Turco and Collins both led the Broncs with 14 points, reaching double figures for the 17
th and 10
th time this season, respectively.
- Roach set a career-high with 10 points off the bench.
Broncs By The Numbers
- Rider shot 45.8% (22-48) from the field, and 31.3% (5-16) from three. The Peacocks shot 32.2% (19-59) from the field and 28.6% (10-35) from three.
- The Broncs had 12 assists on their 22 made baskets, led by six from
Aliya McIver (White Plains, NY/White Plains).
- Rider had a 35-30 advantage on the glass, but Saint Peter's held a 12-7 edge in offensive rebounds.
Winner Bartholomew (Abuja, Nigeria/Day Secondary School Birgi) led the Broncs with six rebounds.
Up Next
Rider is on the road Thursday to play Fairfield at 7 p.m.