January 2, 2006 - Rider 67 Monmouth 57
January 2, 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Women's College Basketball
Rider University 67, Monmouth University 57
LAWRENCEVILLE--Happy New Year! No one is happier to see the new year come than the Rider University women’s basketball team. “We needed resurgence,” said Rider head coach Tori Harrison, after her team defeated Monmouth Monday to start the new year with a victory. “We’re undefeated in 2006.”
Senior Christine Catalanotto (Flushing, NY/Christ the King) compiled a career-high 16 points and added six assists to lead Rider to its first victory of the season. “We’re 1-0 in 2006,” Catalanotto said. “This was a great win for us.”
Catalanotto made a career-high nine of 10 foul shots. “Tonight I felt very comfortable at the foul line,” said Catalanotto. “I felt my legs were there tonight.”
Trailing 4-0, Rider (1-9) went on a 17-2 run, four points by Catalanotto, to take a 17-6 lead nine minutes into the game, and the Broncs led 33-20 at the half. Rider never trailed in the second half. “Recently our practices have been more upbeat, and that carried over to the game,” said Catalanotto. “Everybody has a better attitude, everyone was hustling out there, not giving up.”
Freshman Shaunice Parker (Waldorf, MD/West Lake) matched her career-high with 13 points and grabbed eight rebounds, and junior Theia Preston (West Blocton, AL) added a career-high 11 points and three blocked shots.
“The players were told that they have to go to the foul line 30 times for us to be successful and tonight we met that goal,” said Harrison. Rider was 26 of 35 from the free throw line.
As a team, Rider blocked a season-high eight shots. The 67 points scored is the highest for Rider this year. “We were more aggressive tonight going to the basket,” Harrison said.
Also for Rider, sophomore Janele Henderson (Brooklyn, NY/Bishop Loughlin) added 12 points and freshman Danielle Costantino (Norristown, PA/Archbishop Carroll) added seven points.
The Broncs’ biggest lead was 47-33 with 12:22 left to play. Rider led 49-35 before Monmouth (3-7) went on a 9-2 run, three points by senior guard Niamh Dwyer, to cut the lead to 51-44 with 6:40 remaining, but the Hawks could not get any closer. Dwyer led Monmouth with 18 points, while Veronica Randolph added seven points and 11 rebounds for the Hawks, who saw their two-game winning streak come to an end.
More importantly for the Broncs, Rider saw its nine-game losing streak come to an end.
Rider travels to Manhattan Thursday for a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. “We can’t wait to go to Manhattan,” Catalanotto added. “Every night we just want to come out and win, and now that we have, we feel we can do that every night.”
-RU-
