Broncs fight and fall in final non-conference competition 

By Samantha Clark

In their non-conference finale, the Rider Broncs faced the Virginia Commonwealth University Rams for the first time since 2018, falling 100-79 and bringing their record outside of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference to 1-10.

‘Trending in the right way’

To open the first half, senior guard Zion Cruz hit a jumpshot just inside the arc for the first two points after a minute of play. 

Sophomore guard Flash Burton continued this momentum, picking up two more as the shot clock winded down with a jumpshot from deep.

With the VCU offense picking up, sophomore forward Davis Bynum turned around for a contested jumpshot, regaining the lead over the Rams. 

Junior guard Caleb Smith battled against the strong defense for a layup in the paint, and later added two more with shots from the line, forcing another lead change.

Burton assisted Bynum’s drive through the paint, followed by a turnaround floating jumpshot from Smith, to break the second tie of the game.

Rider then went on a scoring drought that lasted over two minutes, until sophomore forward Cole McCabe splashed a jumpshot from the line.

Grabbing two offensive rebounds in less than 30 seconds, senior forward Shemani Fuller opened the door for a jumpshot from freshman guard Jamir McNeil and a three-point play of his own to tie the game up, once again, at 21-21.

Cruz drilled a deep 3-pointer over his defender, and Smith hit two foul shots to put the Broncs down by just two in the final five minutes of the half.

Gaining his first points since the matchup against the University of Texas on Nov. 18., senior forward David Helterhoff hit a free throw and a layup entering the last minute before the break.

A turnover from the Rams allowed for a jumpshot from Cruz, shooting from deep to pick up two and put the Broncs back into a single-digit deficit.

Bynum then put up three with a contested layup under the net and a shot from the line in the final two seconds of the game, rounding out the half down 45-36.

“I thought we did some good things in the first half,” Head Coach Kevin Baggett told Rider Athletics.

Smith splashed a jumpshot from the baseline to open play after the halftime break, and with an and-1 contested layup from Fuller, the Broncs were maximizing points early on. 

Cruz drilled a floating jumpshot with no defender on him, getting a look on a rare moment of weak defense from the Rams.

VCU then went on an 8-0 run, holding the Broncs scoreless for over two minutes, until Helterhoff hit another shot from the line to end the drought. 

Bynum put up a long jumpshot, giving Rider their first successful field goal in five minutes.

Fuller sank one at the line and later laid it up and in right under the basket, battling against his Ram defender. 

Right in front of the Broncs bench, Smith splashed a 3-pointer, cutting the margin to a 20-point game.

Sent to the line twice in under a minute, McCabe picked up three, slowly but surely pushing the Broncs forward on the scoreboard. 

Rider then went on a 7-0 field goal run with layups from Cruz and Fuller and a 3-pointer from Burton.

Launching the ball up the court, Cruz sends the possession into Fuller’s hands, jumping up and dunking it in for two, doing the same less than three minutes later.

For their first points of the game, freshman guard AB Coulibaly drilled a fadeaway jumpshot from deep, junior guard Antwan Wilson hit two foul shots and freshman guard Kristupas Kepežinskas grabbed the offensive rebound, converting it to a layup. 

A loose ball on the court was picked up by the Broncs and Coulibaly drained a layup to add two more, closing the match out with their eighth straight loss, 100-79.

“We’ve just got to find a way at times to keep our composure and execute better when we’re close in the games,” Baggett said, “But we’re trending in the right way.” 

The Broncs now continue in MAAC play, hosting the Manhattan University Jaspers in the Alumni Gym on Dec. 29. The game will be streamed at 7 p.m. on ESPN+.