BIG MAAC ON CAMPUS
Rider takes sole possession of league lead with wild win over Canisius
LAWRENCEVILLE » The game of the year in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference lived up to the hype right down to the wild finish.
Now everybody exhale. Rider is in the driver’s seat for the regular-season title and No. 1 seed at the conference tournament.
Devine Eke blocked a stumbling Isaiah Reese’s layup attempt in the final second at the end of a crazy sequence and the Broncs held on for a thrilling 83-82 victory over Canisius in a clash between the two best teams in the league on Sunday afternoon in a packed Alumni Gymnasium.
“I didn’t even breathe,” Rider head coach Kevin Baggett said. “I was just holding my breath to be honest. … We always say champions find ways to win and these guys found a way to win.”
The Broncs (21-7, 14-2) won their 10th in a row — the program’s longest streak since the 2007-08 season — and took a one game lead over the Golden Griffins (19-10, 13-3) with two to play.
This was Rider’s seventh victory by seven points or less during its 10-game winning streak and that doesn’t count the 21-point second half deficit it erased in the unforgettable comeback at Marist.
“I think I’ve aged 10 years,” Baggett said. “We’ve had a lot of fun this year, and not just the wins, but watching from when we started to where we are now. The maturation these guys have gone through … when we started this thing in July they didn’t know how to jump to the ball let alone defend a ball screen. To watch it come to fruition is unbelievable.
“As a coach, I love these guys because they battle for me all year long. I get on them. I coach them hard, but they understand why. We’re trying to get somewhere we have not been in a long time.”
Dimencio Vaughn finished with 22 points and nine rebounds and Jordan Allen netted 19 for the Broncs, who led for over 30 minutes, but had to sweat out the final one, including a frantic last 14 seconds.
Following a Rider turnover when it should have just held the ball and got fouled, Canisius took possession with the shot clock turned off.
Then all heck broke loose.
Stevie Jordan knocked the ball away from Reese, who then recovered it, stumbled as he went past Anthony Durham and Vaughn and attempted to lay the ball up as he was falling down.
Eke, a 6-8 forward in the game for his defense, blocked the shot to set off a celebration in front of the sellout crowd.
“Always growing up I was a defensive guy,” Eke said. “It just came at the end of the game that I know what I do and I know they all trust me to get a stop, block, steal or something.”
“That’s why Devine is in the game late to help us do what he did,” Baggett said.
The teams split the season series with both meetings decided by one point on a final defensive stand.
Jermaine Crumpton scored 24 points and Reese finished with 23 for the Griffs. Canisius surged ahead for its first lead (54-49) early in the second half thanks to an 11-2 run in which Crumpton scored eight of the 11 points.
Rider went to Vaughn out of a timeout and the rest of the way was spent trading blows. The Broncs led by six (75-69) with 5:13 left, but Reese, who had 15 of his 23 in the second half, scored the next five points.
“They’re tough,” Vaughn said. “I give them credit, but we still pulled through with our defense. I would say we know how to get it together as a team when it comes down to winning the game.”
This was a first-place clash nobody predicted. The Broncs were picked seventh and the Griefs ninth in the preseason poll. Yet when it ended one of them would have control of the league.
“We got to enjoy it for the moment and then get back to work tomorrow for Monmouth,” Baggett said. “No hiccups. I know our guys will be ready and they understand what’s at stake. I don’t have to remind these guys and they’ll come ready to go.”