LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – On a three-pointer by Flash Burton (Philadelphia, PA/Cardinal O'Hara) with 1.9 seconds remaining, the Rider University men's basketball team defeated Saint Peter's, 81-78, Sunday afternoon in Alumni Gym. With the win, the Broncs improve to 3-18 (2-10 MAAC), while the Peacocks, who entered as the top team in the MAAC standings, fall to 12-8 (9-3 MAAC).
 
After Saint Peter's tied the game 78-78 with 40 seconds to play, the Broncs were unable to convert on the offensive end, giving the Peacocks a look for the win, but the shot drew left iron. Burton pulled down the rebound and led an odd-man break up court as the waning seconds ticked off the clock. Burton decided to pull up from the top of the key and drained the three to put the Broncs back in front. The Peacocks got a look from 60-feet that would have counted, but the shot bounced away off the front iron and secured the win for the Broncs.
 
The Broncs were forced to play from behind in the opening half after the Peacocks opened the game on a 12-2 run, but a pair of threes by AB Coulibaly (Philadelphia, PA/[West Philadelphia/Avon Old Farms]) and Zion Cruz (Trenton, NJ/Donda [DePaul/Pratt CC]) kept the Broncs within striking distance. Trailing 30-18, an old-fashioned three-point play by Cruz sparked a 10-0 run, with Burton adding four and Davis Bynum (O'Fallon, IL/East St. Louis[Cal St. Fullerton]) contributing three to the rally. Down 40-34, the Broncs got a put-back dunk from Shemani Fuller (Bronx, NY/Cardinal Hayes [Clark Atlanta]) before Jamir McNeil (Cape May Courthouse, NJ/Middle Township) connected on a ¾-court buzzer beater to send the Broncs to the locker room down just one at 40-39.
 
With the Peacocks holding a 49-47 lead early in the second, Saint Peter's extended the lead with an 8-0 run. Down 70-59 with just under six minutes to play, Burton scored five-straight points, then trailing 75-68, a basket by Cole McCabe (Miami Beach, FL/IMG Academy), a three from Cruz, and five-straight points by Burton gave Rider its first lead of the game at 78-75. On the ensuing Peacock possession, Burton blocked a three-point attempt, but Saint Peter's took advantage of the short rebound and found an open shooter for a game-tying three, setting up Burton's heroics.

Quotes & Notes
"I've seen that act before, Flash made some big shots for us. Proud of our guys, contributions all the way across the board, top to bottom on the roster. It was good to see our guys get rewarded after a tough loss at Manhattan the other night. You know what it takes to be a point guard in this program, we've had some really good ones, and [Burton] is trending in that direction. He caught his rhythm when they tried to zone us, and he got going from there."
 
"Mir missed the layup, and was a bit down on himself. Then instead of worrying about the miss, he hits a three. Some quirky things happened in this game, and it was just one of those days where I'm like, 'Where are we going with this?' So I'm just happy to exhale since we're on the winning end of it tonight." – Head Coach Kevin Baggett
 
"I really wasn't planning on hitting the game-winner today. I was looking to pass to [Zion], but I thought he was about to take him away, and saw the clock winding down, so I'll just let it fly. I made the first one already. They were aggressive with me and Zion so I felt like I had to use my teammates a little more. First half was more the team, and second half, I had to see what they were changing on me." – Sophomore Guard Flash Burton
 
- Rider leads the all-time series with Saint Peter's, 46-38, after the Broncs earned the season split. Both teams won on their home floor for the second-straight season.  

Broncs by the Numbers
- Rider shot an even 50.0% (25-50) from the floor, and 60.0% (9-15) from three, while the Peacocks were held to 45.3% (29-64) shooting from the field and 35.7% (10-28) from long range.
- Burton scored 21 of his game-high 25 points in the second-half reaching double figures for the 15^th time this season.
- Cruz scored 16 points, including 11 in the first half, to reach double figures for the 12^th time this year.
- Bynum secured double-digit points for the fourth time this season, adding 11.
- Saint Peter's held a 33-29 edge on the glass, including a 14-7 edge on the offensive boards which led to a 19-4 advantage in second-chance points. Burton led Rider with six rebounds.
- The Broncs were near perfect from the line, shooting 91.7% (22-24) from the charity stripe as a team.
- Saint Peter's led for 37:24 of game time to the Broncs' 0:49 with a lead.

Up Next
The Broncs return to MAAC play Thursday, with a trip to Marist for a 7 p.m. game.