Broncs secure a win in final home games of the season  

By Samantha Clark

The Rider Broncs hosted their final games in the Alumni Gym for the 2025-26 season, and after falling 72-66 against the Canisius University Golden Griffins, they prevailed, 67-62, in a hard-fought battle against the Niagara University Purple Eagles on Senior Day.

‘Get back up and keep fighting’

The Broncs went scoreless for the first two minutes of play on Feb. 20, allowing the Golden Griffins to open the matchup with an 11-0 run, until sophomore guard Flash Burton splashed a deep field goal attempt.

After stealing possession and drawing the foul, junior guard Caleb Smith picked up two quick points for the Broncs.

Senior guard Zion Cruz cashed in a jumpshot from just within the arc, and after stealing possession, once again, Burton drove down the lane for the layup.

Smith found senior forward Shemani Fuller in the paint, who put one up and in for two, and after a 3-pointer from Cruz, the Broncs closed the gap to less than 10 points.

The Broncs found their fourth steal of the half in Burton, who drove coast-to-coast for a one-handed slam dunk. Cruz then repeated his previous play, splashing the triple, once again, to close the point deficit to less than 10.

Burton splashed the Broncs’ third 3-pointer in seven minutes, setting them back by just four points.

Another scoreless streak followed, but after driving layups from Smith and junior guard Antwan Wilson, the Broncs headed into the break trailing 40-30.

Cruz opened the second half driving full force to the basket, drilling the layup for a quick two points. Burton followed shortly after with a 3-pointer from the corner, the Broncs taking Canisius on a 5-0 run to begin the final 20 minutes of play.

Successful shots from Cruz, Fuller and sophomore forward Bynum continued the strong offensive effort on the court, and after two shots at the free throw line from Burton, it was a one-possession game.

Sending the ball from baseline to baseline, Fuller found a wide-open Burton under the net, laying it up and in to put the Broncs down by just one. Continuing to make big moves on the hardwood, Fuller then hit back-to-back layups.

Fighting against heavy defense in the post, Cruz hit another layup and senior forward Mohamad Diallo did the same 30 seconds later to tie up the matchup in the final six minutes. 

Cruz splashed a 3-pointer with eight seconds remaining, the Broncs ending the battle down 72-66.   

“We’ve learned a lot from [this season],” Head Coach Kevin Baggett said. “Just like life, we get back up and keep fighting.”

The final homestand

The first three minutes of play on Feb. 22 was scoreless for the Broncs until Fuller hit a shot from the line. Possession then quickly fell into the hands of Burton, who found Bynum in the post for two. 

Showing strong defensive and offensive efforts, Fuller obtained the rebound and laid it up and in for two, bringing the Broncs down by just three. Smith then showed the same pressure, getting the defensive rebound and driving coast-to-coast for the layup.

Burton hit both of his free throws to put Rider down 10-9 halfway through the first, and after Bynum splashed two jumpshots in the paint, the Broncs took their first lead of the afternoon. 

With nothing but net, senior forward Daniel Helterhoff swished in another jumpshot, followed by another from sophomore forward Cole McCabe a minute and a half later.

Possession fell into the hands of Diallo after a Purple Eagle’s missed foul shot, opening doors for a 3-pointer from Burton. With a two from deep, Burton hit his next field goal less than a minute later, pushing the Broncs to regain the lead in the final two minutes of the first half. 

After a 5-0 run from Niagara, Burton splashed another triple to send Rider into halftime down 28-27.

“I’m a shooter… I just had to let it fly,” Burton said.

To open the second half, Cruz splashed a 3–pointer from the corner and Burton found Fuller under the net for a dunk, the Broncs now taking the lead for the third time. Extending the lead further, Bynum and Fuller cashed in a pair of driving layups. 

Fighting against tight defense, Burton splashed a layup over his defender, Bynum doing the same 30 seconds later and again on the next possession.

The Broncs continued on a five-minute scoreless run until Fuller and Burton drove for four quick points, attempting to close the gap widened by the Purple Eagles during the drought.

Sent to the line twice in the same minute, Fuller hit three foul shots to tie the matchup at 59-59. Burton then splashed his third 3-pointer to take the lead, sending the Alumni Gym into a frenzy.

After clutch free throws from Wilson, Fuller and Burton, the Broncs secured a 67-62 victory in their final game of the season in the Alumni Gym.

“In a year that we haven’t been the team that we wanted to be, we appreciate [the fans],” Baggett said. “I’m glad we were able to get that win for them.”

The Rider Broncs will head on the road to play their final two games of the season when they face Iona University on Feb. 27 and Siena University on March 1. Both games will be streamed on ESPN+.