LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – The Rider University women's basketball team got back in the win column Saturday afternoon, defeating Sacred Heart, 64-54. The Broncs improve to 4-12 on the season, and 2-6 in MAAC play, while the Pioneers fall to 7-11 on the year, and 5-3 in league play.
 
With Sacred Heart leading 9-8 late in the first, the Broncs closed out the quarter on a 9-1 run, getting six points from Aliya McIver (White Plains, NY/White Plains) and a three by Kaylan Deveney (Medford, NJ/Life Center Academy).
 
A bucket by Kristina Ekofo (Brussels, Belgium/ Établissement Des Soeurs De Notre Dame[North Dakota State University/Northeastern Oklahoma A&M]) to open the second quarter extended the run to 11-1 and the Rider lead to 19-10. With Rider up 25-17, the Pioneers went on an 8-0 run to tie the game before a bucket from Aina Perez Mesquida (Manacor, Spain/IES CTEIB) would send Rider into the locker room with a 27-25 lead.
 
Holding a 35-34 lead midway through the third, the Broncs took control of the game. An old-fashioned three-point play from Amany Lopez (Springfield, MA/South Shore Christian Prep), a three-pointer by Deveney, an Emmy Roach (Littlehampton, Australia/Heathfield) and-one, followed by a Roach three, and a fast-break layup by Perez Mesquida gave the Broncs a 14-2 run and extended the Rider lead to 49-36. The Broncs led 49-38 entering the fourth quarter.
 
Holding a 49-40 lead, Rider went on a 7-0 run, capped by a McIver three. A 5-0 individual run from Perez Mesquida later in the quarter would give Rider its largest lead of the game at 64-47.
 
Quotes & Notes
"It was a great team. We got contributions from a lot of different people, our bench scored 27 points, and that's going to help win a lot of games. I'm really proud of our effort from start to finish. Emmy is willing to do whatever the team needs her to do, and she played great on both ends of the floor today. Our defense was okay in the first half and the beginning of the third quarter, but we really just stepped up toward the middle of that quarter during the run." – Head Coach Jackie Hartzell
 
"We were doing a really good job of getting in the lane and kicking out, but it really came from our energy on the defensive end. When you're getting stops, it's always easier to get buckets down on the other end, and that's what drove our offense today. We know that the games we don't shoot well are games that are harder for us, so it's just being in the gym getting reps, and when you get the chance, shoot with confidence." – Sophomore Guard Emmy Roach
 
"Being back home feels good. We knew the scout and what plays they are running, so it's all about paying attention and reading body language. Coach talks all the time about reading body language and getting steals. It leads to easy points for us in transition. We're just taking it day-by-day, practice-by-practice, game-by-game." – Junior Guard Aliya McIver
 
- The teams split the season series and Sacred Heart's lead in the all-time series is cut to 3-2.
- Roach finished one-off her career-high with 18 points, finishing in double figures for the sixth-time this season.
- Perez Mesquida added 15 to finish with double digit points for the fifth time this season.
- McIver reached double figures for the 10^th time this season, scoring 10 of her 13 in the first half.
 
Broncs By The Numbers
- Rider shot 44.6% (25-56) from the field, and 31.8% (7-22) from three. The Pioneers shot 31.3% (15-48) from the field and 35.7% (5-14) from three.
- The Broncs had 15 assists on their 25 made baskets, led by seven from McIver.
- Sacred Heart held a 34-31 edge on the glass, including an 11-9 advantage in offensive rebounds. Roach led the Broncs with six boards.
 
Up Next
The Broncs are back in action Monday, playing at Manhattan at 7 p.m.