MAAC Basketball Championship Spotlights: Rider Broncs
MAAC Sports
EDISON, N.J. – With the 2015 MAAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships quickly approaching, the league will begin to spotlight each of its 11 member institutions’ men’s and women’s programs leading up to championship week. Today’s school scheduled to be featured is Rider University.
Rider Men’s Basketball
Preseason Poll Pick vs. Current Standing (as of Feb. 25):
Picked to finish seventh in the preseason coaches’ poll, the Broncs are currently second in the league standings and have secured a first-round bye in the 2015 MAAC Basketball Championship. Rider has won five of its last six games, nine of its last 12, and 15 of its last 19 games. The Broncs recently had a five-game winning streak snapped by Niagara on Feb. 21. During the stretch, Kevin Baggett’s team took down defending MAAC Champion, Manhattan, in its second-straight overtime victory, after toppling Fairfield three days prior in extra time.
Player to Watch: Matt Lopez
First-year Bronc Matt Lopez has made a name for himself in his first, and what will be his only, season in a Bronc uniform. A Utah State transfer, Lopez leads Rider in scoring (12.3 per game) and rebounds (7.7 per game), which also rank 18th and third in the MAAC, respectively. The senior propelled Rider to back-to-back overtime wins, recording a stat line of 20 points, 19 rebounds against Fairfield (Feb. 5), followed by a 27-point, 10-rebound performance against Manhattan just three days later (Feb. 8). Lopez earned MAAC Player of the Week honors on Feb. 9 for his efforts.
Top Play of 2014-15 (as of Feb. 25): Watch Here
Breakthrough Performance(s) (as of Feb. 25):
The Broncs swept the regular season series against defending MAAC Champions, Manhattan, in thrilling fashion, as both games required extra time to determine the victor. Most recently, on Feb. 8, Rider erased a 15-point first half deficit to enter the intermission knotted at 37 with the Jaspers at the Broncs’ Zoo. Both teams put up 35 points in the second half, but Baggett’s team was able to out-score the visitors by a 13-5 margin in the extra period for the win. On Jan. 18, the Broncs came away with a three-point win over Manhattan, in a contest that featured 13 lead changes and five tied scores.
Rider Women’s Basketball
Preseason Poll Pick vs. Current Standing (as of Feb. 25):
Picked to finish sixth in the preseason poll, Rider currently finds itself in seventh place at 8-10. After kicking off the conference slate at 2-7, the Broncs hit a hot streak that included a four-game win spurt which stretched from Feb. 10-20. Despite a loss to Niagara in its last time out (Feb. 22), Rider has won eight of its last 12, including a four-point overtime victory at Iona (Jan. 18). With two regular season games remaining, the Broncs are still in contention for a first-round bye.
Player to Watch: Emily Fazzini
Senior guard Emily Fazzini has come up big for the Broncs down the stretch, posting back-to-back 20-plus point games during Rider's recent four-game win streak. Against Monmouth on Feb. 13, the upperclassmen put up 25 points to lead the Broncs to a 10-point win. She followed up that performance with a game-high 22-points on an impressive 8-for-10 shooting display. On the year, Fazzini is second on the team in scoring, averaging 9.7 points per game.
Top Play of 2014-15 (as of Feb. 25): Watch Here
Breakthrough Performance(s) (as of Feb. 25):
A redshirt sophomore transfer from St. Francis (Pa.), Robin Perkins has shined during her first year in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, leading the squad offensively with a team-best 10.6 points per game. Perkins poured in a career-high 27 points against the Gaels to lead Rider to the four-point upset in New Rochelle, New York. 11 of her points came in the overtime period alone. Perkins has led the Broncs in scoring 11 times this season.
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The next spotlight, set to be released on Thursday, Feb. 26, will feature the Saint Peter’s men’s and women’s programs.
The 2015 season culminates at the 2015 MAAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships at the Times Union Center in Albany, New York, March 5-9. Tickets for the championships are available online at ticketmaster.com.
For the full men’s basketball schedule, visits maacsports.com and remember to follow the conversation on twitter using #MAACHoops and #MAACHoops15.