Broncs hit a wall, losers of two straight

By Benjamin Shinault

Rider men’s basketball had a successful start to its season, but the Broncs seemed to have hit a wall as they are losers of two straight. On Nov. 27, the Broncs fell to the Villanova Wildcats 72-48, and on Nov. 30, the Broncs finally had their home opener and lost 72-66 in a tight battle with Delaware.

Mauled by the cats

The Broncs arrived at Finneran Pavilion to face off against Villanova on Nov. 27. Play opened up with a 3-pointer from senior guard Jay Alvarez, who finished the game with 11 points, hitting two additional triples later in the game. A couple possessions later, with the Broncs down 5-3, graduate student guard T.J. Weeks Jr. splashed a 3-pointer to give Rider the lead 6-5. After those two threes, Rider missed its next seven attempts from beyond the arc in the first half.

The Broncs were able to keep the game within striking distance for the better part of the first half, but with a 3-pointer to make the score 23-20 in favor of Villanova, the Wildcats were able to go on a run that Rider could not mount as Villanova was up 36-20 heading into the half.

Rider’s 20 first-half points were its lowest mark of the season.. The Broncs in the first half only shot 9-of-23 from the field and did not score for the final four minutes of the first half, bringing no momentum into the locker room.

The same story for Rider played out in the second half: Villanova took advantage of the Broncs’ mistakes, scoring 26 points off 17 Rider turnovers.

Points were hard to come by for the Broncs during the entire course of the game, but freshman guard Flash Burton, a Philadelphia native, had no trouble with the Wildcat defense. Burton led Rider in scoring with his 15 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field. 

Despite the final score being 72-48, Rider led the Wildcats in most categories, those being rebounding, as Rider had the narrow edge 33-32, as well as field goal percentage, bench points and points within the paint.

“I thought we were doing a good job,” Head Coach Kevin Baggett said to Rider Athletics, “…we just had some turnovers, which led to their run.”

With the loss, the Bronc’s seven-game road trip finally came to a close and they returned to Lawrenceville for their regular season home opener.

‘Too many breakdowns’

While Rider may have been looking for a warm welcome home, its return to Alumni Gym turned into a hard-fought and gritty, 72-66 loss for the Broncs on Nov. 30 at the talons of the Delaware Blue Hens. 

Delaware got right to work on the Broncs, splashing home a transition 3-pointer. Soon after, Rider responded with a layup from graduate student forward Tariq Ingraham. Ingraham went on to score six of Rider’s first nine points of the game. By the end of the matchup, Ingraham had notched a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds, now having scored double-digit points in four games this season.

Later in the first half, the Broncs were able to build a six-point lead stemming off a jumper from junior guard Zion Cruz from just outside the paint. Cruz was a solid contributor off the bench for Rider, finishing with 10 points and grabbing five rebounds.

The tide began to turn for the Broncs after they built up their six-point lead. Delaware was starting to get to the hoop with ease, scoring 20 of their 38 first-half points in the paint.

“I kept telling them that we have to have more ball pressure including our center. Our center’s got to get out there and guard,” Baggett said.

Delaware consistently found good looks at the hoop and cashed in on its opportunities, as the Blue Hens had a field goal percentage of 53.3% by the end of the first half.

The Rider defense adjusted well in the second half, limiting Delaware’s shooting efficiency and success in the paint. Delaware’s defense was just as strong, stifling Rider’s success from long range.

The game remained tight in the second half, but Delaware was able to come through time and time again by hitting clutch 3-pointers and hitting free throws.

With a minute and 10 seconds to go, Weeks came through with a four-point play, bringing Rider within two possessions, but Delaware responded immediately, splashing home a wide-open corner three. With that, the chances of a Rider comeback were swiftly put to bed. 

“We know what we have to do,” Alvarez said. “We got to go back to practice and fix things up, watch film and get better.”

With Rider now losers of two straight, the Broncs will begin Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference action by traveling to Fairfield, Connecticut, on Dec. 4 to take on the Stags. 

The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ at 7 p.m.