LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – Zion Cruz (Trenton, NJ/Donda [DePaul/Pratt C.C.]) scored a team-high 12 points as the Rider University men's basketball team cruised past Canisius, 78-50, and clinched a berth in the MAAC Championships Thursday night at Alumni Gym. The Broncs improved to 12-18 (8-11 MAAC), while the Griffs dropped to 3-27 (3-16 MAAC).

After Canisius opened the game with the first four points, it was all Broncs. Rider scored the next 14 points as part of a 27-5 run to open a 27-9 lead by the 10:40 mark. Another 11-2 run later, the Broncs built their largest lead of the half, 42-17, on an Ife West-Ingram (Philadelphia, PA/Abington Friends) jumper with 2:43 left in the period. The Broncs would settle for a 44-25 lead after 20 minutes with five Rider players scoring at least six points, led by Zion Cruz (Trenton, NJ/Donda [DePaul/Pratt C.C.]) with all 12 of his points.

The Broncs' lead extended to as many as 20 points prior to the 16-minute mark of the second half and the Griffs could draw no closer than to within 24 the rest of the way.

Quotes & Notes
"Good performance by our guys, start to finish. Good to see everybody had an opportunity to play. I know they had a couple of guys that were out, so we had to handle our business to get to this next game on Saturday and continue to figure out where things stand in the MAAC."

"What I love is guys are sharing the ball, making the extra passes, finding the open guys. You can tell these guys are enjoying playing with one another, understanding one another. It's just enjoyable. I thought we'd get here sooner, but we're here and it's good that this is the time that we're doing it." – Rider Head Coach Kevin Baggett

- Rider leads the series with the Griffs, 43-18. After the two teams had played 10 of 13 within four points, this year's two meetings were both decided by 18 or more – an 85-67 Canisius win on Jan. 10 in Buffalo and tonight's 78-50 Rider win.
- With the win, combined with a Niagara win over Saint Peter's, the Broncs have clinched a berth in the MAAC Championships. They can finish as high as the No. 8 seed or as low as No. 10, depending on Saturday's results.
- All 15 Broncs on the roster got into the game for at least four minutes, with 12 entering the scoring column.

Broncs by the Numbers
- Cruz made five of his first six attempts from the floor, including 2-for-2 from long range, for his 12 points, all in the first half. He also added four assists and three steals.
- T.J. Weeks Jr. (Warwick, RI/Bishop Hendricken Catholic [UMass]) added 11 points on 4-of-9 from the floor and 2-for-2 from the free-throw line.
- Cole McCabe (Miami Beach, FL/Miami Country Day/IMG Academy) added a season-high 10 points off the bench on 4-for-4 from the floor and 2-for-4 from the free-throw line. He also grabbed four rebounds.
- Tariq Ingraham (Philadelphia, PA/Bonner-Prendergast [Wake Forest]) chipped in with eight points on 4-for-5 shooting and added eight rebounds and three assists.
- Ruben Rodriguez (Reading, PA/Reading), Jay Alvarez (Waynesboro, PA/Waynesboro Area [Houston Christian]) and West-Ingram also contributed eight points apiece.
- Rider outshot Canisius, 48.4 percent (31-64) to 35.3 percent (18-51) from the floor, including a 29.6 percent (8-27) to 27.3 percent (6-22) edge from beyond the three-point arc.
- Canisius took an 80.0 percent (8-10) to 66.7 percent (8-12) advantage from the free-throw line.
- The Broncs outrebounded Canisius, 38-29, including a 10-6 edge on the offensive glass.
- Rider took scoring advantages of 24-8 off turnovers, 32-18 in the paint, 16-6 on second chances, 3-0 on fast breaks and 36-13 off the bench.
- The Broncs led for 36:50 of game time to the Griffs' 2:19 with the lead.

Up Next
The Broncs wrap up the 2024-25 regular season Saturday afternoon, when they play host to Niagara. Opening tip from Alumni Gym is scheduled for 2 p.m. on ESPN+.