Rider rises from the dust to defeat Quinnipiac
LAWRENCEVILLE » Every young team needs that signature win to not only keep it moving forward, but also as a needed reminder in tough times that it has been there before and rose to the challenge.
The Rider women’s basketball team might’ve gotten that foundation win over Quinnipiac when it rose from the dust of 22-point loss to the Bobcats on Friday and gave without a doubt its most impressive showing of the season.
The Broncs let the defense set the tempo early, answered every challenge and prevailed in overtime, capturing a thrilling, 7774, win over Quinnipiac on Saturday afternoon in a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference game at Alumni Gymnasium.
“I’m really proud of this groups effort,” said Rider coach Lynn Milligan. “We weren’t happy with a lot of the things we did yesterday (Friday) and for them to turn around and buy into the adjustments we made and to buy into just each other. I belief we have in each other really showed.
There was a lot on display for the Broncs (3-14, 2-10 MAAC).
“This one feels good,” said Milligan. “This the way that we are supposed to win, the way we are supposed to play on our home court. It feels good to see them rewarded for the effort they are putting in.”
Freshman Raphaela Toussaint tied the game at 63-all on a pair of free throws with 23 seconds left in regulation. Quinnipiac looked to hold for the last shot and a great defense stand by the Broncs sent the game to overtime.
Then in the extra period it came down defense and clutch performances.
Amanda Mobley’s 3-pointer gave the Broncs the lead in overtime at 68-67 and Toussaint’s trey with 14.7 seconds left stretched the lead to 76-71.
“I was wide open and I was feeling it,” said Toussaint, the 6-foot forward of just her 12th 3-point attempt this season. “This win feels really good, the game on Friday wasn’t really a representation of who were are and this was much better.”
A Quinnipiac basket and then a free throw by Rider’s Maya Hyacienth made it 77-74 and it gave the Bobcats one final shot to tie the game at the buzzer, but it fell short.
Some Nifty Numbers
• Mobley led the Broncs with 18 points, which matched a career high, and dished out a season best eight assists.
• Hyacienth, who was sizzling in the first half when the Broncs led by as many as eight points, had 18 points.
• Toussaint had her fourth double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
• Victoria Toomey had 10 points, eight blocks and seven rebounds.
• Makayla Firebaugh hit a couple big 3’s and reach double digits for fourth time in the last five games.
“This felt like Rider basketball and everything felt more normal,” said Mobley, a junior. “We knew we needed to come out playing much better than yesterday (Friday). We started off strong, we had a couple lulls, but we were able to pick ourselves up and play a lot better.”
It’s Not Surprising
“It was fun to watch them sustain the effort all the way through overtime,” said Milligan. “It is who we are and who we want to be. We are not at the consistency level we want to be at every day, but this a step in the right direction.”
It was a giant step on a building block for the future.
“This shows the growth and the resilience of this team,” said Milligan. “Was I surprised by this? No, I know who these kids are and I know what they have inside of them. It was a good effort all the way around.”