Broncs upset Marist in third straight win
By Benjamin Shinault
Rider men’s basketball went up to Poughkeepsie, New York, and took down the top Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference team, the Marist Red Foxes, 64-57. The Red Foxes saw their nine-game win streak snapped by the Broncs, as Rider has continued to build momentum after an 0-4 start to MAAC play.
The win was charged by freshman guard Flash Burton, who finished with a career-high 21 points on 7-for-11 shooting.
The game opened up with both teams trading buckets, and it was tied 6-6 with just under 14 minutes to go in the first half. From there, Marist crept out to a lead on Rider as the Red Foxes took a 13-7 lead off a jumper.
The slight six-point lead didn’t last long for the Red Foxes, as graduate student guard T.J. Weeks Jr. inserted himself with a 3-pointer to close the gap to three. A few minutes passed by before Weeks found himself on the free throw line, hitting two shots to close the Broncs deficit to one point.
Weeks, now having scored in double figures 14 times this season, finished the Marist matchup with 13 points and splashed home two of his four three-point attempts.
The Broncs, still down 13-12 after a pair of Weeks free throws, hopped on a scoring run and got out to a 20-15 lead capped off by a free-throw stroke from Burton.
With Rider up by five, Marist got a few buckets but not without the Broncs returning the favor and keeping the Red Foxes at arm’s length for the remainder of the first half.
At the conclusion of the first half, Rider was up by seven, 29-22. The 22-point mark is the second least amount of points Marist has scored all season in the first half.
The Broncs from the field in the first half shot 40% and held, Marist, the seventh-ranked MAAC offense to a field-goal percentage of 31%.
To start the second half, the Broncs extended their lead to 10 thanks to a couple trips to the free-throw line. By the end of the game, the Broncs attempted 23 free throws, connecting ona18.
After a few free throws, 3-pointers and a slam dunk, Marist came within one and took back the lead with a 3-pointer at a score of 38-36 with 13 minutes to go in the game.
With 11 minutes left on the clock, Burton knotted the game back at 38-38 off a jumper.
Marist took back the lead immediately after with some free throws. Between the two teams, they committed 33 personal fouls.
Graduate student forward Tariq Ingraham tied the game back up at 40-40 with a post-up move down low, and on Rider’s next possession, it was Ingraham who gave the Broncs the lead off a free throw.
Ingraham recorded 13 points and 10 rebounds against Marist and finished with his fourth double-double of the season.
After the two free throws that put Rider up by one, 41-40, Marist never took back the lead.
Marist tied the game up at 47-47, but once again, Rider stole the lead right back. Burton came up time and time again for the Broncs, as he laid down a mean one-handed slam to put Rider up by six with 2:23 to go, and on the next Rider possession, Burton hit a step-back 3-pointer with a hand in his face to put the finishing touches on Rider’s massive upset on the road.
“[Burton is] no longer a freshman. I’ve been reminding him of that. He’s a talented young man. He’s gotten better defensively, which is what he needed to work on,” Head Coach Kevin Baggett said. “He could always score the ball. He’s a talent for us.”
The buzzer sounded at McCann Arena and Rider picked up its third straight MAAC win 64-57.
“We talked to our team about it all day. We just said, ‘The tougher team is going to win.’ I thought our guys made tough plays, diving on loose balls, blocking out, making tough and one shots when we needed them,” Baggett said.
The Broncs look to ride their newfound hot streak as they take on the Iona Gaels in Alumni Gym on Jan. 23. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ at 7 p.m.
