Broncs’ Texas tour becomes a rocky ride
By Samantha Clark
Rider men’s basketball traveled to the Lone Star State for a two-game roadtrip, where the University of Texas hooked the Broncs 99-65 on Nov. 19 before they fell to the Big 12’s preseason favorite University of Houston, 91-45.
Trampled in Texas
The Broncs opened their road trip in Austin, Texas, where they faced the University of Texas Longhorns.
Junior guard Caleb Smith gave the Broncs their first points with a layup, fighting through Texas’ heavy defensive efforts.
The Longhorns continued on a 9-0 run over the following two minutes, until Smith snapped the streak with two successful free throws.
Sophomore guard Flash Burton scored back-to-back points for the Broncs, with a deep uncontested two followed by a quick 3-pointer.
Senior guard Zion Cruz continued this momentum, driving through the stampede to the net for a floater.
Two minutes of unsuccessful play continued, until Burton hit a 3-pointer off a defensive rebound.
Texas responded immediately with a layup on the other end of the court, holding 4-0 over the Broncs in the three minutes that followed.
Cutting through the defense, sophomore forward Davis Bynum floated in for a layup. He later went on to score five points in just 12 minutes, achieving a new career high as a Bronc.
Right out of the timeout, Cruz hit a swift 3-pointer, and Bynum did the same just 30 seconds later.
Burton scored two more with a deep shot, and Texas responded with another run, going on a 8-0 run in a minute-and-a-half.
Coming in fresh off the bench, junior guard Antwan Wilson broke Rider’s scoring drought with two free throws.
With less than 30 seconds left in the first, Burton hustled down the court for two, and Texas hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer, rounding the half out at 28-44.
Opening the second half, Texas sank a jumpshot with the shot clock winding down, and senior forward Mohamad Diallo responded with the same on the other end.
Despite the Longhorns efforts of blocking the shot, Burton scored another two, which was followed by a 7-0 Texas run.
Sophomore forward Cole McCabe gave the Broncs some numbers on the scoreboard with his first points of the game.
Following two Texas free throws, Diallo rushed in the paint as the ball teetered into the net, and McCabe succeeded with another 3-pointer.
Halfway through the second, senior forward Shemani Fuller floated up for two with his first points in Austin.
Burton picked up two more from his shots on the line, and Cruz went for two more with a deep look.
Rider put up five in a row with a pair of free throws from Smith, and senior guard Devean Willaims shot just past the curve for a 3-pointer.
With both teams in the bonus, multiple Bronc free throws followed from Smith, senior forward Daniel Helterhoff and freshman guard AB Coulibaly.
Adding jumpers and layups to the scoreboard, Helterhoff and Coulibaly combined for 11 points in under five minutes, bringing the Broncs down 99-65 to end the matchup.
Cougars pounce
The Broncs then traveled east for their matchup on Nov. 20 against the second-ranked team in the nation, the University of Houston Cougars.
Cruz lobbed one up for Diallo, who gained the first points for the Broncs with a dunk, putting pressure on the glass.
Houston attempted to force a turnover, but was unable to convert it into points. However, the Cougars continued on a 12-0 run over the following two minutes.
Smith collided with his defender, leaving him uncovered beyond the arc, and buried a 3-pointer to snap Houston’s streak.
Fuller smashed the ball into the glass for a two, but Houston reacted quickly on the other end of the court with a triple.
Houston went 0-4 in straight field goal attempts, and Williams took the opportunity for an alley-oop dunk, assisted by Burton.
Rider successfully gained possession off a steal and Cruz drove down the wood for a fastbreak layup.
“I give credit to Devean [Williams] and Zion [Cruz], I think they really competed tonight,” Head Coach Kevin Baggett said.
Three-and-a-half minutes of no cranberry points was broken with a Willaims 3-pointer, fueling his career-best eight-point performance.
Cruz knocked down another three, leading the Cougars into almost three minutes of unsuccessful play.
Despite heavy defense, McCabe put up a right-handed hook, bringing the score to 25-47 at the half.
Rider was held scoreless for the opening two and-a-half minutes of the second, until Fuller put up a pair of foul shots.
Left wide open directly under the net, he followed this performance on the wood with a dunk.
As the Cougars defense held strong, Smith popped up in the paint for two and Cruz answered on the opposite end with a key block.
Rider then fell into another two minute scoring drought, allowing Houston to break away on a 7-0 run.
Bynum’s heavy defense in the paint gave the Broncs possession, and they continued to hold Houston to 6-0 over the following two-and-a-half minutes.
With their claws out, the Cougars heavy defense continuously put the Broncs at the line, allowing for Smith to pick up easy points in the final 10 minutes of play.
Smith stepped back for a midrange jumper, the ball rattling in for his third field goal of the night.
In the closing 30 seconds, Bynum put up two more, closing the game at 91-45.
“We struggled a little bit with lack of toughness,” Baggett said. “But we’ll get back to work.”
The Broncs return home on Nov. 25 at 7 p.m. where they look to continue their wins in the Alumni Gym against Coppin State University. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
