LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – The Rider University men's basketball team was victorious Saturday afternoon in its exhibition contest, topping Alvernia 66-55.
After the Broncs opened the game with a three from
Bryce Baker (Mooresville, NC/Donda Academy[Charleston/Winthrop/Old Dominion]), Alvernia countered with a pair of threes and a bucket to take an 8-3 lead early. Down 10-5, the Broncs got a pair of free throws from
Khalil Farmer (Philadelphia, PA/Roman Catholic[Hofstra/UMASS Lowell]) and a three from
Nasir Washington (Philadelphia, PA/Penn Wood[Casper College]) to tie the game back up. The Broncs extended the run to 12-2, capped by a three from
Ty Bevins (Clinton, MD/Gwynn Park[George Washington]) to give Rider a 17-12 advantage. The Golden Wolves came back to tie the game 17-17, then took a 25-21 lead with 3:52 to play in the opening half. Rider would close out the half, on a 9-2 run, capped by a
Horace Simmons Jr. (Glenside, PA/La Salle College HS[Drexel]) three to give the Broncs a 30-27 lead at the break.
Rider then scored the first four points of the second half, making it a 13-2 run across the two periods. After Alvernia scored seven-straight to tie the game 34-34,
Richie Rosa (Pequannock, NJ/Saint Peter's Prep) hit a three followed by a
Rich Brisco (Brooklyn, NY/Hillcrest Prep[Akron]) bucket to put Rider back on top. Leading 41-38, Simmons Jr. hit a pair at the line and knocked down a jumper, followed by a Brisco layup, and a four-point play in the corner from Bevins to give Rider a 10-run, extending the lead to 13. The Golden Wolves would hit three consecutive threes to trim the Rider edge to just four at 51-47, and a later three would trim the lead to 56-53. Rider would close out the game strong, responding with a bucket by Brisco, and old-fashioned three-point play by Simmons Jr., and a long ball from Baker to extend the Rider lead to 64-53, and the Broncs maintained control through the conclusion of the contest.
Quotes & Notes
"We have 14 guys. It's a work in progress trying to get everyone on the same page. We're not close to being there, but we're trending. We're getting there. Guys understand if you're not making your shot, you have got to do something else to help this team contribute in other ways. Get a turnover, dive on a loose ball, take a charge. It's the little things that we talk about that don't show up in the score chart. We preach four guys to the glass. We've normally been a good rebounding team, and we want our guys to continue to do that."
– Head Coach Kevin Baggett
"It's different when nobody has really played with each other yet. You have some veteran guys, and just a fresh start for everybody. It's a clean slate. It's a little tough, but we just have to keep working at practice and learning everybody's strengths and weaknesses and be able to play off that."
– Junior Guard Ty Bevins
- Bevins led all players in the game with 17 points.
- Brisco added 16 points to go with a game-high 11 rebounds for the double-double effort.
- Simmons Jr. scored 10 points off the bench as the third Bronc in double figures.
Broncs by the Numbers
- Rider shot 37.1% (23-62) from the floor, and 26.7% (8-30) from three, while the Golden Wolves shot 32.7% (18-55) from the field and 39.3% (11-28) from long range.
- Rider had 15 assists on its 23 made baskets, led by four from
Mark Butler.
- Rider held a massive 53-24 edge on the glass, including a 19-4 advantage in offensive boards.
Up Next
The Broncs open the regular season Nov. 2 at Pittsburgh. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m.
