Women's Basketball Pulls Away From Niagara for MAAC Road Win

NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, NY – Junior forward Lea Favre (Vevey, Switzerland, Lycee Jeanne D'Arc) scored a career-high 24 points to lead the Rider University women's basketball team past Niagara, 79-64, on Sunday afternoon in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) action inside the Tapps Gallagher Center. Favre was one of four Broncs in double figures as she hit 9-of-14 shots from the field and all six of her free-throw attempts on Sunday. She also added six rebounds and a pair of blocks in 38 minutes of game action. With the win, Rider (16-11, 12-4 MAAC) snapped a two-game losing streak and moved into sole possession of second-place in the MAAC standings, while the Purple Eagles (12-15, 8-8 MAAC) dropped their third conference game in a row. After a slow start, the Broncs used a 10-2 run in the second quarter to build a lead. After Niagara tied the game at 32, sophomore Daija Moses (Toronto, Ontario/Henry Street) knocked down a buzzer-beating trey from the corner to give Rider a 35-32 advantage heading into halftime. The Broncs never trailed in the second half as junior Stella Johnson (Denville, NJ/Morris Catholic) erupted for 10 points in the third frame to stretch the Rider advantage to four at 49-45 heading into the fourth quarter. Over the final 10 minutes, Rider shot 58 percent (7-of-12) from the field and knocked down 15-of-16 free-throw attempts to stretch their lead to double digits and escape with the pivotal MAAC win. UP NEXT Rider returns to action on Thursday, February 28 with a home conference tilt against Siena. Opening tip is slated for 7:02 pm as the Broncs are looking to for the regular-season sweep of the Saints after topping Siena in Loudonville earlier this season. Prior to the game, the Broncs will honor their two seniors and one graduate student.