RIDER GAMEDAY
Who: Quinnipiac (7-6, 2-3) at Rider (5-8, 1-2)
When: Friday, 7 p.m., Alumni Gymnasium
TV/ Radio: ESPN+/ 107.7 The Bronc Retro
Last Time Out: Rider def. Marist, 79-75; Quinnipiac lost to Canisius, 79-67 Series History: Rider leads, 13-6, and is 7-0 all-time against Quinnipiac at Alumni Gymnasium
Streak: Rider W2; Quinnipiac L2
NCAA Net Rank: Rider 286; Quinnipiac 250
Scouting Rider: The Broncs finally looked like the team coach Kevin Baggett expected offensively when they shot it season-high 57.6% overall and made nine 3s. Now they get two home games this weekend with a chance to string some victories together before heading out on the road. While Rider has still struggled offensively overall — ranking last in the MAAC in field goal percentage — it has been among the better defensive teams in the conference. It ranks third in the league in field goal percentage defense (40.9%), which is also good for a top-100mark nationally (94th). This is just the Broncs’ fifth home game of the season.
Scouting Quinnipiac:
Baker Dunleavy’s Bobcats are one of the toughest teams to figure out in the MAAC. They followed up a four-game winning streak with a pair of duds on the Buffalo trip and dipped below .500 in league play. That won’t stop Quinnipiac from letting it fly from deep. The Bobcats lead the MAAC in 3-point attempts per game (27.6) and 3-pointers made per game (9.2). It should come as no surprise then that they take 45.8% of their shots from behind the arc. In fact, Quinnipiac has attempted 105more total 3s than Rider in the same number of games. Matt Balanc, the frontrunner for Sixth Player of the Year, is top top 3-point shooter at 42.6% while averaging a team-best 15.5points coming off the bench. There are five players — not including the injured Savion Lewis, who is out for the season — who average between 8.1 and 10.2points. Of concern is the drop in production for graduate senior Jacob Rigoni. The Australian elected to return for a fifth season but is averaging 8.9points and career low 33.8% shooting from 3.