Broncs open season with an exhibition win
By Samantha Clark
The Rider Broncs hosted the Rowan Profs for the first time since 1979 for the annual exhibition game during Rider’s Alumni and Family Day on Oct. 25, where they showed up and showed out for the cranberry crowd with a 76-64 win.
Shaking off a slow start
Four missed shots, two turnovers, two steals and a foul kicked off the first game of the 2025-26 season at the Alumni Gym before sophomore forward Cole McCabe broke the two-and-a-half minute scoreless streak with a three. McCabe’s effort gave the Broncs their first points of the season.
“McCabe is one of our hardest workers,” Head Coach Kevin Baggett said. “He’s in the gym three, four times a day. Everything he gets, he’s earned.”
Senior forward Mohamad Diallo followed, charging through the defense like a true Bronc, scoring in the paint in his Rider debut.
The advantage continued to shift with Rowan gaining a lead over Rider. However, with dunks from McCabe and redshirt senior forward Shemani Fuller, as well as back-to-back jumpers from sophomore guard Flash Burton, both new and returning Broncs made an impact on the hardwood.
For almost three straight minutes, the Broncs went on a 6-0 run against the Profs, bringing them up by nine.
Rowan hit a pair of successful three-pointers to close the gap, and Rider responded with adding four more points to close the half up by one, 32-31.
Finding the rhythm
The second quarter opened with a fastbreak dunk by junior guard Antwan Wilson, and Rider continued to go 8-0, foreshadowing the Broncs’ force for the rest of the game.
The Profs matched this energy with their 6-0 run, but a deep three from Burton put the scoreboard at a 44-44 deadlock.
Sets of free throws and layups by Fuller led the Broncs to an advantage over Rowan, and two consecutive threes from Burton and freshman guard AB Coulibaly solidified the lead.
Another dunk from McCabe gave Rider their first margin of over 10 in the game, which was followed by multiple successful shots for the cranberry, putting Rider up by 16.
Wilson and Fuller combined for four points in free throws, and Fuller hit the fifth and final dunk of the game to end with a home win, 76-64.
“It sometimes gets hard when you’re playing against each other a lot, so playing against an outside competition and looking back at that can definitely help us for the future,” McCabe said.
By securing their first home win against Rowan since the 1972-73 season, the Broncs continued their perfect record for their annual exhibition games.
The Broncs will travel to Charlottesville, Virginia, to face the University of Virginia on Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
