Broncs still winless at home after Bryant loss
By Kadie DiGiuseppe
Returning to Alumni Gym after losing its home opener, Rider women’s basketball faced another defeat on its home court, this time to the Bryant Bulldogs 62-54 on Nov. 15, bringing its season record to 1-2.
Junior forward Emilee Tahata started off hot, scoring first for the Broncs with two 3-pointers.
Freshman guard Camryn Collins got on the board early after a failed 3-point attempt, but Tahata was the more consistent scorer.
“Knowing that, no matter what, my teammates have my back is great,” said Tahata.
Collins and Tahata combined to give the Broncs 15 points before the Bulldogs took their small lead away. Even after its fiery start, Rider ended the first quarter down 22-17.
In the second quarter, senior guard Gabby Turco’s great pass allowed senior guard Mariona Cos-Morales to add to the Broncs’ score.
Later in the quarter, the Broncs found themselves down 12 points due to weak performances on defense.
Cos-Morales and Turco both added more points before halftime, but Rider went into the locker room trailing 35-25.
At one point during the second quarter, the Broncs had only scored three points in seven minutes, while the Bulldogs put up nine points.
The Broncs let the hype from the crowd fuel their run in the second half as they cut the lead to tie things at 38 apiece.
Senior guard Sanaa Redmond, Collins, Tahata and Turco all contributed on offense, combining for 13 points to tie while the Broncs defense locked in.
Sophomore guard Aliya McIver’s free throws kept the tie going in the final quarter. During the first three minutes, Rider forced three turnovers but could not finish on the offensive end.
Collins did rack up five points before Turco’s second 3-pointer tied things up; however, the Bulldogs offense took the lead back with less than a minute left, ending the game 62-54.
“Late-game execution: it’s vital to winning games. It’s something that we work on every single day in practice,” said Head Coach Lynn Milligan. “We came up a little short in that today. We just didn’t execute the way I thought we would.”
Collins added, “We’re not used to situations like that. I think it just came down to late-game execution.”
Tahata and Turco finished the game with a combined 32 points while Collins got in double figures for her third game as a Bronc, with 12 points.
The Broncs will travel to La Salle University on Nov. 20 at 6:30 p.m., and then to Virginia Commonwealth University on Nov. 24 to play against the Rams at 1 p.m.
