January 12, 2007 - Niagara 71 Rider 51
January 12, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Women’s College Basketball
Niagara University 71, Rider University 51
NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y--The Broncs lost a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference game at Niagara Friday night. “We are not putting a 40 minute effort on the floor,” said head coach Tori Harrison. “We are going to continue to search for the answer and battle through.”
Rider (1-15, 0-5 MAAC) was led in scoring for the second game in a row by junior LIU transfer Kelli Sawyer (Philadelphia, PA/Friends Select) who connected for 17 points and set career-highs with seven rebounds, five assists and four steals in 30 minutes of action.
Sawyer scored a career-high 23 points against Marist on January 8.
“Kelli’s game has really stepped up,” said Harrison. “Now the other kids have to step their game up as well.”
“We fought in the first half and got complacent in the second,” said Sawyer. “We have to learn how to fight all the way through and play for 40 minutes.”
Tied at 32 with 17:32 left in the game, Niagara (10-6, 2-3 MAAC) went on a 19-4 run, six points from Michelle Manfredi and five points from Shaunna Ambrose to take a 15 point lead at 51-36 with 10:26 left. Ambrose led the Purple Eagles with 18 points.
Rider brought the Niagara lead back down to 15 points on several occasions but could get no closer.
The Purple Eagles jumped out to a 14-6 lead with 11 minutes left in the first half before Rider came battling back. The Broncs who started off one for10 from the field, went on a 17-7 run, seven points each by Sawyer and sophomore Shaunice Parker (Waldorf, Md./West Lake) to take the lead 23-21 with three minutes left in the first half and the teams went into the locker room tied at 28. Parker finished with seven points in the game and added eight rebounds for Rider.
“We can get down,” said Harrison “but we have a game again on Sunday and we need to remember the positives of what we did for the first half and take that 20 minutes effort and make it a 40 minute effort against Canisius.”
“Coach pulled me aside before the last game and said it’s time to step up,” said Sawyer. “With 16 straight in the conference, we needed someone to lead by example and that’s what I try to do with my game. I try to do whatever we need, score, rebound, pass it or steal it on defense. I just want to bring energy to the floor and do what I can to help us win.”
The Broncs stay in Western New York and face the Golden Griffins of Canisius College on Sunday in a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference game at 2:00pm.
“We are looking to take a real focused approach on defense,” said Sawyer in reference to the rematch against Canisius. “We are going to learn from our mistakes eight days ago against them and try to change the outcome this time around.”
-RU-
