Broncs win four straight behind Firebaugh, Langan
By Kadie Digiuseppe
Rider women’s basketball has been on a high, winning its last two games and extending its win streak after overcoming Saint Peter’s on Feb. 22 and Marist on Feb. 24 to bring its season record to 9-16.
‘We were locked in’
The Broncs came off two hard-fought wins in a row before they matched up against St. Peter’s at home on Feb. 22.
In its previous game against Saint Peter’s, Rider lost a tough battle 68-58 after falling apart on all sides of the court during the second half.
Rider played a completely different game this time around. During their 59-48 victory over the Peacocks, the Broncs shot over 43% overall and led by 32 points.
Both teams came out of the locker room ready to compete as graduate student guard Taylor Langan got the game started offensively.
The Broncs also picked up three early steals that helped them outscore the Peacocks 38-14 going into halftime.
The third quarter for the Broncs has been the quarter where they have struggled the most all season. In the Broncs last five games, they have been outscored by their opponents 78-47 during the third quarter. That was not the case this time. Rider’s defense was on lockdown, only allowing 10 points in the third quarter.
Once leading by more than 30 points, the Broncs
ended the game winning 59-48.
Senior guard Makayla Firebaugh and Langan had eight rebounds each and combined for 33 points. Senior guard Molly Lynch and junior guard Sanaa Redmond also contributed with 11 combined rebounds for the Broncs.
Langan and other players mentioned postgame that the Broncs have heavily focused on defense during their last couple of games. Head Coach Lynn Milligan said, “We were locked in on the game plan.”
Junior guard Mariona Cos-Morales had one of her best defensive games of the season with four steals and two blocks.
“I thought Nona [Cos-Morales] was terrific,” said Milligan. “She battles with the bigs down there. She’s not afraid of the physicality. I thought her timing today was very good.”
Winning streak at four
The Broncs were back at home on Feb. 24 against Marist looking to extend their winning streak to four games. They traveled to Marist earlier this season and left with a 65-55 loss.
The first quarter was back and forth for Rider, but after graduate student guard Jessika Schiffer made her first 3-pointer of the afternoon, the Broncs had the lead.
In the second quarter, Rider only scored five points and let Marist score 13 extra points to bring the score to 25-19 in favor of Marist going into the second half.
Rider took the lead in the third quarter, but at the end of regulation the score was tied at 54.
Redmond, Cos-Morales and Lynch all contributed to scoring points in overtime, but Firebaugh was the last one sent to the free throw line to finish things off for the Broncs and secured the 62-61 nail-biting win.
The last time Rider had a win streak of four games was the 2019-2020 season.
Nearing the end of the regular season, the Broncs will travel to Niagara on Feb. 29.
The game is at 6 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+.
