Women's College Basketball
Rider Goes for Gold Friday Night
LAWRENCEVILLE--The Rider University women's basketball team won't earn a gold medal if they defeat Canisius College Friday night but to them, it will feel like they won one as the Broncs look to end an eight-game slide when they host the Golden Griffins in a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference game in Alumni Gymnasium.
Tip-off is slated for 7:05pm.
Rider (10-13, 2-10 MAAC) is led by sophomore MyNeshia McKenzie (Springfield, Pa./Springfield (Delco)) who is averaging 11.5 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. McKenzie was a member of the MAAC All-Rookie team in 2010-11.
Canisius and Rider met just 10 days ago in Buffalo when the Golden Griffins eked out a 60-54 win, despite 16 points and nine rebounds from McKenzie.
Canisius has won 25 of the 32 games in the all-time series but Rider defeated the Golden Griffins in their last visit to Alumni Gym on January 10, 2011 by a 68-58 score.
Rider opened the season 10-5, the best start since the 1993-94 season for the Broncs. Rider comes into action having lost at Loyola Maryland 71-57 on February 4, despite 12 points each from McKenzie and freshman Emily Fazzini (Wayne, Pa./Archbishop Carroll).
Fazzini has started every game for Rider during her rookie campaign and is averaging 6.4 points and 3.1 rebounds while logging 26 minutes a game.
Canisius enters play 11-12, 5-7 in the MAAC, having defeated Niagara 58-57 on February 4.
Friday night is the first of three straight home games for Rider as the Broncs finish the regular season with four of six games in Alumni Gym.
Rider will host Manhattan College on Sunday at 1:05pm as part of National Girls and Women in Sports Day and the Broncs welcome Iona College at 7:05pm on February 17 in a special Play for Kay Breast Cancer Awareness game.
All non-televised home games can be seen on BroncVision and MAAC.TV as part of Rider's pay per view service at GoBroncs.com and the audio will be simulcast on the video stream with Jeff Nolan and Dick Wiseman bringing you all of the action.
The game can also be heard on 107.7 FM The Bronc and 1077thebronc.com.
GameViewer (LiveStats) will also be available, free of charge via the link on GoBroncs.com.
Join the Broncs as they go for the gold against the Golden Griffins Friday night.
-RU-