Broncs start 0-2 in MAAC action, fall to Connecticut foes

By Benjamin Shinault

To open up Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play, Rider women’s basketball faced off against two Connecticut rivals, Fairfield University on Dec. 19 and Sacred Heart on Dec. 21. Both matchups ended with losses, bringing the Broncs’ MAAC record to 0-2 to begin play.

A tall task

In its first MAAC matchup, Rider had quite the tall task, the back-to-back MAAC champions, the Fairfield Stags.

The first quarter ended 14-13 in favor of the Broncs. Graduate student Kristina Ekofo and junior guard Deb Okechukwu both scored four points in the opening quarter. 

Rider converted seven of its 13 field goal attempts in the first quarter, and the Stags hit only one of their 10 3-point attempts.

But, in the second quarter, it was all Fairfield. The Stags put up 29 points on the board. The Stags converted 10 of their 15 field goal attempts and sent down all four of their 3-point attempts. 

Junior guard Aliya McIver had a good second quarter, as she laced two 3-pointers, but outside of that, Rider couldn’t stop the charging of the Stags.

The Broncs had a lead, 27-26, after a freshman guard Aina Perez Mesquida jumpshot, but from there, the Stags went on a 16-0 run going into the halftime break, bringing the score to 42-27.

The run continued to start the second half, but it was finally stopped by free throws from Ekofo to bring the score to 44-29.

The second half continued to be dominated by Fairfield, as they outscored Rider, 20-16. McIver had a good third quarter, as she scored five points. By the end of the matchup, McIver scored a team-high of 13 points and also reeled in a team-high of eight rebounds.

Rider was outscored once again in the fourth quarter, 22-15. Fairfield’s largest lead came in the fourth quarter, as the Stags took a 28-point lead that the Broncs did not have time to surmount as they fell, 84-58.

“I thought we competed. That’s what we asked our players to do, and I thought we did that for 40 minutes,” Hartzell said to Rider Athletics, “Obviously, they’re a great team, and they’ve been the team to beat for a few years now for a reason.”

Close, but no cigar

In the second matchup against Connecticut foes, the Broncs fell to the Pioneers of Sacred Heart University, 61-59 on Dec. 21.

For the entire first half, the Pioneers outscored the Broncs, 35-28. The first half for the Broncs was tough, as they allowed Sacred Heart to attempt 12 free throws. The Pioneers also laced four 3-pointers in the first half, as well.

To start the second half, the Broncs came out strong. Rider only allowed the Pioneers to score five total points in the third quarter, while Rider scored 17 points. By the end of the third quarter, the Broncs had a narrow lead, 45-40.

During the third quarter, McIver reached 11 points. McIver has now scored in double-digits seven times this season. Perez Mesquida also added a team-high in 13 points in the tight loss, as well.

Holding the narrow lead heading into the fourth quarter was the Broncs, but it didn’t last long, as the Pioneers went on to take the lead in the late stages and never gave it away, as they emerged winners.

The Broncs have now dropped their first two MAAC matchups and have lost their last four games.

Rider will look to right its wrongs on Dec. 29 when it takes on the Gaels of Iona University at 4 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.