Broncs losing streak reaches eight after gut-wrenching finish

By Benjamin Shinault

The trepidation and anguish of the 2024-25 season continued for Rider men’s basketball as it lost its eighth straight game after a heartbreaking, 80-79 defeat to the Manhattan Jaspers on Jan. 5.

Rider led by seven with only three minutes left to go but with a spark led by a baby running on the floor and a last second deep three, Rider’s turmoil of a season stretches on.

“Awful way to lose, just an awful way to lose,” Baggett said.

The eight-game losing streak now is the longest in a single-season since the 1988-1989 season where the Broncs finished 5-23. This game also marks the first time Manhattan has defeated the Broncs in Alumni Gym since 2014.

The game started out with a 3-pointer from the Jaspers, which was matched by sophomore guard Ruben Rodriguez, who knocked one down from the corner. After the Rodriguez three, the Broncs built out an early lead after a midrange jumper from junior guard Zion Cruz and a three from senior guard Jay Alvarez.

Alvarez finished the game as the leading scorer for the Broncs, totaling a season-high 23 points. Alvarez has now scored in double figures nine times this season. 

“We needed Jay to take it to another level for us,” Head Coach Kevin Baggett said. 

By the second timeout of the first half, Manhattan was red hot from long range as it splashed home three of its first four attempts, staying within striking distance of the Broncs, 16-13.

Manhattan and Rider battled up until the third timeout of the first half, where the Broncs slowly built  their lead up to 26-20. 

Rider’s lead grew to nine after graduate student forward Tariq Ingraham knocked down both of his free throw shots. The Broncs cashed in on their opportunities from the charity stripe well on Jan. 5, as they hit 19 of their 20 attempts.

Heading into halftime, Rider led 44-37, and when the Broncs got back, they maintained their momentum and opened up play with a half-court dish from Rodriguez to a leaking Alvarez for an easy layup that put Rider up nine.

Manhattan, in its next possession, scored a bucket down low. The Jaspers scored 36 points in the paint on the night. The Jaspers were also able to hit 10 3-pointers and shot 50% from the field.

After the layup by the Jaspers, graduate student guard T.J. Weeks Jr. hit his first three of the game from the corner with the defender closing in.

Weeks finished with 13 points and six rebounds, and he is tied for eighth in the conference for total 3-pointers made with 26 and is tenth in scoring with 13.4 points per game.

With the score at 49-41 with 18 minutes left in the game, a baby dashed onto the floor and stopped play. The baby seemed to be a good luck charm for the Jaspers, as after that, they slowly crawled back into the game and tied it up at 58-58 after a layup with just 12 minutes left to go. 

Soon after the tie, Manhattan took its first lead of the game since the opening bucket and got out to a small, 62-58 lead after a circus, behind-the-back, reverse layup.

Rider quickly stopped the bleeding after a timeout, and knotted the score at 62 apiece. From there, it was a game of hot potato for both teams, as the lead changed five times in the second half. 

The Broncs, using the energy from an almost packed Alumni Gym, got out to a 73-66 lead off a one-handed slam from senior guard Tank Byard.

Byard offered a surge of energy and was a savior for the Broncs in the late stages, coming up with two steals late and scoring a season-high eight points in only 15 minutes of action.

Manhattan, despite being down 73-66 with only four minutes to go, did not step off the gas pedal and tied it up at 75-75 off a layup. With the Jaspers back in it, Rider took the lead right back off a layup from Alvarez to make the score 77-75 with a minute left.

After a Weeks fouland some Jasper free throws, the game was knotted up at 77-77 with 34 seconds left.

Alvarez, once more, got down low and finished at the rim with a layup off the window to give Rider the lead 79-77 with just 13 seconds left. The Broncs could see the losing streak’s end was within reach, but those visions were snuffed out when a Jasper pulled up from a few feet behind the arc off the fast break and drilled a three with six seconds to go. 

On the inbound with just 2.6 seconds on the game clock, Rider turned it over and the losing streak lived to see another day.

Rider out-rebounded the Jaspers by 39-29, and the Broncs also had the edge in bench points, second-chance points and fast-break points.

“We can’t hang our heads on this. We just have to keep going,” Alvarez said. “It’s a long season and we have a lot of games left, so we just have to get back to practice.” 

Rider next faces off against the 0-15 Canisius Golden Griffins team with a chance to end their historic streak of defeats. 

The game begins Jan. 10 at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+.