RIDER GAMEDAY

Who: Canisius (9-13, 6-4) at Rider (12-10, 7-3)

When: Friday, 7 p.m., Alumni Gymnasium

TV/ Radio: ESPNU/ None Last Time Out: Rider lost to Manhattan, 73-66; Canisius lost to Marist, 78-71 in overtime

Series History: Rider leads, 36-13

Background: The Broncs really need this one after dropping a pair of games at Monmouth and Manhattan that caused their grip on first place to slip away. Rider won the first meeting in Buffalo behind 22 second-half points from Frederick Scott.

Home Sweet Home: Rider is 7-0 at Alumni Gym this season and can establish a new program record with an 18th straight victory in Lawrenceville. The Broncs close with five of their final eight games at home. They had a 1⁄2 game lead over Monmouth prior to Thursday night’s contests (Monmouth played at Saint Peter’s with a win taking the Hawks into the top spot). Need to Finish: Rider has fallen victim to a couple of late runs by the opponents in the last two games. Monmouth finished on a 12-2 run after the Broncs led by six with 3:54, while Manhattan used a 12-0 push to over-turn a four-point Rider lead and take control in the final 4:58.

Scouting Canisius: The Golden Griffins, much like the Broncs, have been inconsistent in putting together 40 full minutes. They coughed up an 11-point lead with four minutes remaining and lost to Marist in overtime last time out. Forward Takal Molson averages a team-high 16.7 points and he’s been the main source of offense with Isaiah Reese, the MAAC Preseason Player of the Year, out suspended. One area to keep an eye on is points in the paint. The Griffs aren’t a great rebounding team, so second-chance points could play a part if Rider gets on the offensive glass.