Rider comes up short, lose 53-52 to Yale
By Benjamin Shinault
For the first time in over a month, Rider women’s basketball played a game on the hardwood of Alumni Gym. On Dec. 6, the Broncs welcomed in the Bulldogs of Yale University, but fell short in the final seconds, losing 53-52.
‘We came out flat’
The first quarter for both teams was tough. Yale finished the first quarter with nine points and Rider, close behind, with eight.
By the end of the first quarter, the Broncs had a shooting percentage of 14% and went 0-5 from beyond the arc.
Graduate student Kristina Ekofo was the lone star of the first quarter for the Broncs, as she scored six of the team’s total eight points.
The first quarter came and went with Yale holding a slight 9-8 lead.
The second quarter for both teams was slightly better. Scoring was started by freshman guard Alena Cofield’s fastbreak to put Rider on top, 10-9.
Directly after the Cofield breakaway, the Bulldogs got off their leash and went for a 8-0 run, which forced Head Coach Jackie Hartzell to burn a timeout.
After the timeout, Yale added two more points from the free throw line to take a 19-10 lead. The Yale dominance was finally stopped by an Efoko layup in the paint.
Ekofo was the leading scorer of the game, as she finished with 18 points and also reeled in nine rebounds. Ekofo, averaging 13.6 points per game, is ranked eighth in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
With Yale up 21-12, the Broncs found an offensive flow. Freshman guard Daniya Brown and Ekofo swapped baskets to come within seven. Following the Ekofo make, sophomore guard Emmy Roach splashed a 3-pointer from the corner to bring the game to four, 23-19.
The Bulldogs splashed a 3-pointer themselves and closed out the first half leading 26-19.
“We came out flat in the first half, I think we lacked a little bit of energy,” Hartzell said.
Halftime served the Broncs well. Coming out of the break, Rider went on an 8-0 run to open up the third quarter and snagged the lead back from Yale.
The lead was continuously swapped between the two teams, but Yale closed out the third quarter with the lead.
By the end of the third quarter, the Broncs shot 54% from the field and hit two of their four 3-point attempts.
Opening up the fourth quarter, Yale held a 40-36 lead and held it for the better half of the final quarter, until there was less than three minutes remaining, when junior guard Deb Okechukwu laced a 3-pointer to bring the Broncs within one.
Okechukwu, in the fourth quarter alone, scored seven of the Broncs’ 16 points.
“I just want to continue to get comfortable in whatever role I can do to help the team,” Okechukwu said.
Junior guard Aliya McIver was the one to put Rider on top as she finished down low to make the score 45-44.
After some free throw shots from the Bulldogs, the blood-pumping game was knotted up at 46-46.
Both teams were once again swapping baskets until there was 19 seconds on the clock, when Efoko got one to settle in the net to put Rider on top, 52-51, sending the Alumni Gym and the Rider bench into jubilation.
But on Yale’s next possession, Rider fouled a Bulldog and they hit both free throw shots, putting them on top, 53-52, with just seven seconds left.
The Broncs had a shot to win it on their side of the court, but the ball was poked loose and Rider never got the opportunity to get a good shot off.
“We don’t just want to just play well, we want to get the win, and as a team, we’re definitely disappointed that we didn’t come out with the win,” Hartzell said.
Broncs will look past this tough loss and look toward their home matchup against Wagner College on Dec. 13. The game will tipoff at 2 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
