Only up from here: Broncs end season with double-loss weekend

By Samantha Clark

After falling in the final two games of the 2025-26 season to the Iona University Gaels and the Siena University Saints, the Broncs ended their run with a record of 4-25, solidifying them as the worst team in Rider men’s basketball history.

Gaels on the run

The matchup on Feb. 27 kicked off with a 3-pointer from the Gaels, but after two free throws from sophomore guard Flash Burton, the gap was quickly closed to a one-point game. 

Senior guard Zion Cruz followed by splashing a 3-pointer of his own in front of the Iona bench, and after a two-minute scoring drought, Cruz and Burton repeated the same play to put up six quick points.

Both teams went scoreless for the following two and a half minutes until a pull up jumpshot from Cruz pulled the Broncs back on the board, marking him and Burton as Rider’s only successful shooters in the opening 10 minutes.

“The coaches just want us to show up and compete,” Burton said. “When we buy into what they are trying to teach us, … it gives us a better chance at winning.”

After taking a trip to the free throw line, junior guard Caleb Smith added two easy points and picked up another two a minute later with a driving layup. 

Cruz splashed his third 3-pointer of the half and a jumpshot, while senior forward Shemani Fuller followed with a hook shot to close the gap to two points. However, it was not until two minutes later that the Broncs cashed in another basket, with a pull-up jumpshot from Cruz in the final four seconds to head into halftime down 40-30.

The second half opened with a successful and-1 layup from Burton and a jumpshot from Cruz, the pair carrying their offensive strength from the first into the final 20 minutes of play.

Rider continued on another drought for two minutes, allowing Iona to widen the gap to 15 points. Jumpshots from Cruz and freshman guard Jamir McNeil snapped the streak, but the momentum was not maintained, as the Broncs went scoreless for the next three minutes. 

Fuller’s signature dunk broke the spell, and after Burton stole possession and converted it to a fastbreak layup, the deficit was closed to sub-15 points. However, after another jumpshot from Cruz, the Gaels took the Broncs on a 10-0 run.

Cruz’s jumpshot marked his 25th point of the night, pushing him to a new career high as a Bronc.

Smith tipped in his missed shot to pick up Rider’s first points in four minutes, followed by two quick shots at the line from senior forward Daniel Helterhoff. The pair repeated this offensive energy, with another tip-in from Smith and a layup from Helterhoff, to end the matchup down 80-58.

‘Nobody gives up’

Play against the Saints opened on March 1 with back-to-back baskets in the paint after Burton splashed a jumpshot and Smith laced an and-1 layup, the Broncs picking up five quick points in 30 seconds. 

Cruz followed with a 3-pointer and jumpshot, and after another 3-pointer was added to the board from Smith, Rider gained the lead over Siena.

The Broncs continued to widen the gap by holding the Saints scoreless for three minutes. A jumpshot and free throws from Burton and layups from Smith and Cruz set Rider off on a 10-0 run, pushing the Broncs up by double digits. 

“We always fight until the end and nobody gives up,” Cruz said. “I think that was one of our biggest growths [this season].”

 Rider went scoreless for the next two minutes, but quickly got back into the groove after Helterhoff obtained the offensive rebound and tipped it in for two, later drawing a foul for the 3-point play. 

After Cruz knocked down a 3-pointer, both teams faced unsuccessful play for the next two and a half minutes, until Smith picked up the first field goal with a layup. The drought on the Broncs’ end continued for the rest of the half, allowing the Saints to close the gap to 35-33 heading into the break.

Burton hit two 3-pointers in the first minute of the second half, however, the Broncs then continued on a two-minute scoreless run, allowing the Saints to regain the lead. Although a free throw from Burton put a stop to the streak, Rider did not score a field goal for five straight minutes, digging its hole further.

A jumpshot in the arc from Cruz put the Broncs back on the board, and after Cruz and Burton splashed two more, the Broncs had closed the gap to single digits halfway through the second.

After a 3-pointer from Burton, both teams went scoreless for almost two minutes, the dry spell ending with a layup from Smith. 

Junior guard Antwan Wilson picked up five points in a minute with an and-1 layup and a jumpshot, Fuller following with a jumpshot of his own. For the remaining three minutes of play, the Broncs, once again, were seen scoreless and rounded out their final matchup of the season down 76-61.

“Seeing how the fans still supported us, even though the season went the way it went, that’s how I stayed motivated to show up everyday,” Cruz said.