Broncs fall to Cavaliers in season opener 

By Samantha Clark

Rider men’s basketball opened their regular season in Charlottesville, Virginia, facing the University of Virginia for the first time since 2009. Despite a well-fought battle, Rider fell short 53-87.

Late first-half punch

The first half opened with a two-minute scoreless drought, with both teams taking turns racing up and down the court but struggling to find the net.

Virginia broke the streak, but sophomore guard Flash Burton quickly responded with a deep two, giving the Broncs their first points of the game.

Junior guard Antwan Wilson continued with this momentum, fighting in the paint against two Cavaliers to finish with a layup.

Out of the first timeout, Virginia turned up the heat and energy on the court, forcing Rider to fight as hard as possible. 

Burton sank another long jumper and paired it with a free throw to complete the three-point play, pushing his total to 10 points in just seven minutes of play. 

Senior guard Zion Cruz drove to the basket through three defenders, fighting for a jumper and his first points of the game.

Both teams went three minutes straight with no successful field goal baskets, but combined for nine free throws on the line.

Cruz broke the streak with a three-pointer, cutting the Broncs’ deficit to a single-digit margin.

Ahead of the 2025-26 season, the National College Athletic Association introduced a new rule to college men’s basketball programs, which allows coaches one challenge at any point in the game to review specific plays, including out-of-bound calls.

Head Coach Kevin Baggett used the new rule to Rider’s advantage, successfully challenging an out-of-bounds call against freshman guard Jamir McNeil, giving possession back to the Broncs.

With two minutes left, Virginia missed four straight three-point attempts, but held their lead by securing the offensive rebounds.

Junior guard Caleb Smith sank a layup through two defenders, getting in the paint with less than a minute left of play in the first half.

Smith’s layup, combined with Burton’s 15 points that led all scorers in the first half, put the Broncs down by 10, trailing the Cavaliers 32-42.

“We need to make scoring easier for one another and trust each other to play off one another’s roles in the game,” senior forward Mohamad Diallo said.

Scoring struggles continue

The second half opened very similarly to the first, with a seven minute scoring drought for the Broncs. 

Virginia went 11-0 in this stretch, until Smith sank a free throw with 13 minutes remaining.

Despite his leading performance in the first, Burton did not score in the second half until the 8th minute, with his third deep two-pointer of the game.

Rider continued to go scoreless for the next six and-a-half minutes, allowing Virginia to go on a 17-1 run for five minutes.

McNeil snapped the Cavaliers’ run with a steal and drove to the basket for a fastbreak layup in the paint. 

Sophomore guard Maurizio D’Alessandro hit a three-pointer, his first and only points of the game, in the final two seconds, closing out the matchup at 53-87. 

“I thought our guys competed well in the first half,” Baggett said. “We didn’t make the adjustments that we needed to make in the second half … I think we’ll be better come Wednesday, have a quick turn around.”

The Broncs look to get their first win in the regular season on Nov. 5 when they face Rutgers University in Piscataway, New Jersey, at 7 p.m. The game will be streamed on Big Ten Sports Network.