Broncs split at home as MAAC Tournament approaches

By Joshua Yuhas

With the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament rapidly approaching, Rider women’s basketball remains 11th in the MAAC standings as of Feb. 16, after splitting a pair of games in Lawrenceville. The Broncs suffered a 42-40 loss in a pivotal Saint Peter’s University Peacocks matchup before bouncing back and defeating the Marist University Red Foxes, 56-43.

Only so many second chances 

After each side turned the ball over to open the game on Feb. 12, graduate student forward Kristina Ekofo backed down her defender in the post for a layup to start the scoring against Saint Peter’s.

A 3-pointer from junior guard Aliya McIver and a bucket off an offensive rebound from sophomore guard Emmy Roach gave the Broncs an early 7-6 lead.

With strong ball movement, Ekofo found junior guard Deb Okechukwu in the paint, but a scoreless drought followed, leaving just a four-point lead for Rider after one quarter.

Okechukwu drove from the corner for a layup to open the second, and after a trio of steals, freshman guard Alena Cofield drove for another.

A back-and-forth run led by second chance points for the Broncs gave a 25-20 lead heading into halftime.

With shooting struggles for both teams, Rider carried the five-point lead due to their 12 offensive rebounds in the first half.

“I just knew I had to crash the boards, give my teammates shots,” Cofield said. “I just tried to facilitate and not just depend my game on scoring and try to use my defense.”

The third quarter was one to forget, as Saint Peter’s made just two of their 14 attempted shots and Rider did not make a single field goal in the quarter, leaving a 28-28 tie heading into the final quarter.

Fighting off foul trouble with Okechukwu and Roach reaching four fouls, the Broncs took control on 3-pointers, including one from freshman guard Aina Perez Mesquida and two from Cofield.

Fouls continued to haunt Rider as Ekofo reached her fourth and Okechukwu fouled out of the game, allowing the Peacocks to take the lead in the final minute of play.

Despite heavy defense from the Broncs, they went scoreless for the final three minutes, resulting in a 42-40 loss.

Cofield ended the night with her first career double-double, with 10 points and a team-leading 12 rebounds.

Foul trouble for Roach, Okechukwu and Ekofo hurt the Broncs in the end, providing a challenge for Head Coach Jackie Hartzell late in the game.

“That was very frustrating for us because those were players that we felt like we needed to have on the court, especially at the end of the game there,” Hartzell said.

Strong finishes

On a quick turnaround, Rider remained in the Alumni Gym on Feb. 14 for a showdown with Marist.

An early Cofield layup along with a steal and score from Roach gave Rider the lead before they went scoreless for the next couple minutes.

Through free throws and a bucket in the paint, McIver got the Broncs back on track for an 8-6 lead into the first timeout.

A 9-0 run from the Red Foxes over the following four minutes pushed all momentum their way, until sophomore guard Amany Lopez drilled a stepback 3-pointer from the left corner to close the opening quarter.

After shooting just 26% as a team in the first quarter, Rider flipped a switch in the next 10 minutes of action.

For each Marist possession, Rider had an answer. Starting with Ekofo’s 3-pointer, to Lopez’s driving layup, to McIver backing down from the right post to the paint for the and-1.

McIver ended the half with a buzzer beater score off an offensive rebound, finishing the half with 12 points. Ekofo scored eight points alongside McIver, but the story of the second half was the defense from the Broncs.

The Red Foxes’ first basket of the third quarter did not come until halfway through the quarter, as the Broncs carried a 13-0 run to start the half.

While the Red Foxes went on a 7-1 run over the following three minutes, Rider once again, closed a quarter strong with a 3-pointer by Okechukwu.

After a layup from Marist to open the final quarter, each team went scoreless for the next three minutes.

The Broncs then later held the Red Foxes scoreless for another three-minute run, holding a comfortable lead until the final buzzer, 56-43.

McIver led the Broncs with 19 points and Ekofo ended with 17 points, making the Alumni Gym crowd proud.     

“I loved it. I saw the support. I didn’t know a lot of people were going to come, so I’m happy that everybody came,” Ekofo said.

Following the split at home, the Broncs are two games back of a MAAC Tournament slot and travel to upstate New York for a 6:30 p.m. matchup against Niagara University on Feb. 19 and Canisius University on Feb. 21 at 2 p.m. Both games will be broadcast on ESPN+.