JERSEY CITY, NJ – Zion Cruz (Trenton, NJ/Donda [DePaul/Pratt CC]) and T.J. Weeks Jr. (Warwick, RI/Bishop Hendricken Catholic [UMass]) scored 16 points and hit four three-pointers apiece, but the Rider University men's basketball team dropped a heartbreaker at Saint Peter's, 66-65, Sunday afternoon at Run Baby Run Arena. With the loss, the Broncs fall to 10-16 (6-9 MAAC), while the Peacocks improve to 9-13 (4-10 MAAC).

Runs were the story of the first half. The Broncs opened the game on a 9-0 run, including consecutive Tariq Ingraham (Philadelphia, PA/Bonner-Prendergast [Wake Forest]) buckets. Later, the Peacocks would use separate runs of 7-0 and 11-1 to take a 32-23 lead with just over three minutes left in the period. Rider ended the half on an 8-0 run on a Tank Byard (Atlantic City, NJ/Atlantic City [Alcorn State]) baby hook and three-pointers from Ruben Rodriguez (Reading, PA/Reading) and Zocko Littleton Jr. (Albany, GA/Osborne [Appalachian State/Chipola College]).
 
For the half, the Broncs took a 42.9 percent (12-28) to 38.5 percent (10-26) advantage from the floor. Both teams shot well from beyond the arc, with Saint Peter's making 6-of-9 (.667) and the Broncs knocking down 6-of-10 (.600). The difference came from the free-throw line, where Saint Peter's made 6-of-7 (.857) to the Broncs' 1-of-2 (.500).
 
A one-possession game for the majority of the second half, the Broncs built a four-point lead on a Cruz jumper with 2:52 remaining and the Broncs' lead remained four after two Weeks Jr. free throws with 2:02 left. The Peacocks got buckets from Mouhamed Sow and Armoni Ziegler, the second with 1:00 showing on the clock to tie the game at 64-64.

Nearly a minute-long Broncs possession resulted in Flash Burton (Philadelphia, PA/Cardinal O'Hara) getting fouled on a baseline jumper with 6.6 seconds remaining. He made 1-of-2 free throws to give Rider a 65-64 lead. The Peacocks inbounded to Bryce Eaton and the redshirt freshman fell down near the midcourt stripe with minimal, if any, contact, drawing the foul call. He made both attempts at the line to give Saint Peter's the 66-65 lead and the Broncs' inbounds pass was intercepted. The Peacocks misfired on the front end of a 1-and-1 with 1.1 seconds left and Ingraham's full-court heave hit the backboard, but would not fall.

Quotes & Notes
"T.J. missed free throws. Flash missed free throws. Then we don't play good D. We shouldn't have even given them a chance to make that call. It's not a foul."

"Close out games the right way, then you would have momentum. That game's on us." – Rider Head Coach Kevin Baggett

- Rider lost for just the second time and is now 9-2 this season when holding the opposition to fewer than 72 points.  
- Rider leads the all-time series with Saint Peter's, 45-37. The Broncs had won the last six regular-season meetings with the Peacocks.
- Rider is now 6-5 this season in games decided by five points or fewer and fell to 4-5 in MAAC games decided by five or fewer.
- 10 of Rider's 15 MAAC games have been within one possession in the final minute, with the Broncs posting a 4-6 record in those contests.
 
Broncs by the Numbers
- Cruz scored 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including 4-of-5 from beyond the arc.
- Weeks Jr. also made 4-of-5 three-point attempts and added 4-of-5 shooting from the free-throw line for his 16 points. He also added six rebounds.
- Ingraham made 4-of-10 from the floor and 4-of-5 from the free-throw line, while also grabbing a team-high nine rebounds and adding three assists, three blocks and a steal.
- Burton also finished in double figures with 10 points on 4-of-8 from the floor, including 1-of-3 from long range, and made 1-of-2 from the line.
- Rodriguez dished out a team-high five assists, made two steals and blocked a shot.
- The Broncs outshot Saint Peter's, 43.1 percent (22-51) to 36.7 percent (22-60) from the floor, including a 57.1 percent (12-21) to 40.9 percent (9-22) edge from beyond the arc.
- Rider's 12 three-point field goals made were a season-high, eclipsing the previous high of 10 buried at Navy on Nov. 12.
- Saint Peter's took an 81.3 percent (13-16) to 75.0 percent (9-12) edge from the free-throw line.
- The Peacocks took a 45-27 edge on the glass, including a 22-8 advantage in offensive rebounds.
- Saint Peter's took advantages of 26-16 on points in the paint and 18-9 in second-chance points.
- The Saint Peter's bench outscored that of Rider, 29-8.
- The Broncs led for 15:14 of game time to the Peacocks' 14:48 with a lead.
- The game featured seven lead changes and 11 ties.

Up Next
The Broncs return to action Friday night, when they play host to Fairfield. Opening tip from Alumni Gym is scheduled for 7 p.m. on ESPN+.