Rider getting hot: Winners of 3 straight

By Benjamin Shinault and Amir Halim

Gas is burning and wins are churning for Rider men’s basketball as they took down the University of San Diego Toreros on Nov. 6, 68-67, the Coppin State Eagles on Nov. 9, 64-53, and the United States Naval Academy Goats on Nov. 12, 90-79, bringing their record to 3-1. 

West Coast win

On Nov. 6, Rider bounced back following a rough finish to its season opener against University of California, Los Angeles on Nov. 4, where they lost 85-50. The Broncs next matchup, the University of San Diego Toreros, was only a two-hour drive down the sunny coast of California. The Broncs had better luck against the Toreros, scraping by 68-67.

The game was a nail-biter from tipoff until the final whistle. The lead switched seven times, the game tied five and the biggest lead of the night was only eight points.

San Diego opened up the scoring in the game with a 3-pointer in the first minute. San Diego hit three more 3-pointers in the first half, while Rider splashed home five.

The Toreros offense did damage in the paint for a bulk of their scoring, as 32 of their 67 points came within the paint. 

While Rider offense has battled other teams effectively in previous games, it struggled early on, facing a deficit where they were down 8-2 before responding with a 12-2 run.

Graduate student guard T.J. Weeks Jr. is to thank for much of the run and overall victory. Weeks, who scored 15 points against UCLA, brought the same energy against San Diego, leading the team with 19 points. Weeks also nailed seven 3-pointers collectively in the games against UCLA and San Diego.

“He’s [Head Coach Kevin Baggett has] given me the green light, but also it’s just the work I put in off the court to make sure that, when I get that chance to shoot a three, … I can make it,” Weeks said.

Apart from Weeks’ continued stellar performance, senior guard Jay Alvarez scored 15 points. Sophomore guard Ife West-Ingram, junior forward Tyriek Weeks, junior guard Andre Young and freshman guard Flash Burton all stood out with scoring 19 combined points. 

“I talked about hopefully having depth this year. It’s good to see some of those guys, like TWeeks and Flash, come in and have the game they had,” Baggett said to Rider Athletics.

Hot beginnings

Rider traveled from California to Maryland to face the Coppin State Eagles on Nov. 9, where they defeated the team 64-53.

“I thought it was going to be a little dicey. I know these guys are at home. I know they’re desperate. We’re a little tired. Not a lot of prep time. Give our guys credit for figuring it out, trying to find a way,” Baggett said.

The game was definitely risky for the Broncs, as they led 20-11 in the first half, only for the Eagles to climb up the scoreboard to be within one point of the Broncs. At halftime, Rider only led 31-27, which allowed Coppin State to tie at the start of the second half.

After that, the Broncs locked in for a 12-0 run that Coppin State could not reach.

Graduate student forward Tariq Ingraham completed 16 points, nine rebounds and three blocks. Weeks continued his double-digit scoring streak with a solid 12, as well as seven rebounds.

Burton played well, reaching a new career high in scoring with 11 points in 25 minutes. West-Ingram had two steals, six rebounds and two assists.

“We talk about depth and where some of our guys off the bench were really good. I thought Ife West-Ingram was great. I thought Flash gave us some good minutes today as well,” Baggett said.

While Rider might have lost the lead temporarily, it had the edge in field goal percentage, rebounding and points within the paint. 

With the win against Coppin State, the Broncs have their best start since the 2021-2022 season, where they also began 2-1.

Navy goes down

Rider continued its stay in Maryland and faced off against the Navy on Nov. 12, leaving with a 90-79 win.

Rider was in a high-scoring affair but managed to find itself ahead early into the game, as the Broncs seven 3-pointers allowed them to establish a 12-point lead at halftime.

Senior forward Jay Alvarez led the first half for the Broncs with a hot hand from deep. Alvarez had four 3-pointers of his own, which allowed Rider to open up their perimeter game.

Weeks finished the game leading the team with 18 points, Alvarez followed right behind with 17 points.

West-Ingram had six of Rider’s 13 offensive rebounds, giving Rider a lot of second chance points to extend and maintain its lead.

Despite the team’s large amount of turnovers, the Broncs kept their foot on the gas and continued to battle, preventing Navy from finding a rhythm and potentially taking control over the game.

Rider’s early lead continued throughout the game until the very last seconds, with Navy putting the Broncs into a free-throw battle.

The Broncs managed to hit their key shots allowing them to close out the game, putting their record to 3-1 as they continue their win streak.

Rider will travel to Iowa on Nov. 19 at 8 p.m. The game will be streamed on Big Ten Plus.