With so much going on in the MAAC, instead of day-by-day let’s try to snatch out the big headlines of the weekend.

Story #1: Rider Falls Back To Earth

Well all that great reputation Rider built up came down to a thud this weekend with double digit losses in Charlottesville and Lexington.

Rider came out flat on Thursday night at Virginia and were able to close the lead to 5 with 6:08 to go in the first half but were cold from the field in the second half. Rider shot 35% effective FG% in the second half after shooting 47.6% eFG% in the first half. Brandon Penn led the Broncs with 10 points.

Head Coach Tommy Dempsey did not make excuses for this game. “We just didn’t play well,” Dempsey said “We couldn’t guard them.”

In game two of the road trip, the Broncs found John Wall who showed off his skills (21 points, 6 rebounds, 11 assists) in a double digit loss in Lexington.

Rider was off to a good start but a few hometown calls later and Rider’s great first minute dissipated into a halftime deficit of 25. Even though this game didn’t look like a great showing for Rider, the Broncs were able to create turnovers, get a lot of open looks from behind the arc and push the Wildcats in transition off turnovers.

Just to prove some officiating inefficiency, this is the actual call for “illegal touching” (if he even touches him) on Justin Robinson. Robinson is the only guy who comes remotely near to touching Wall on this play and it was a continuation and-1.

Dempsey said he was proud of the way his team competed. Ryan Thompson led the Broncs with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Even though he had a nice line, Thompson struggled being defended by Kentucky senior Ramon Harris, going 1 for 10 from the field.

So why did Rider start so strong and now played two straight poor games against big conference teams? Well in these two games Rider went a combined 11 of 40 (27.5%) from three point range. When three pointers combine for 37% of your shots over these two games (40 of 108), it’s going to be tough when you can’t hit those shots from behind the arc.

Story #2: Niagara’s Weekend Ends With Sunday Collapse

On Friday, Niagara woke up early again, 11am this time, to beat winless Howard 82-77. A great game from inside the 3 point line was key for the Purple Eagles, as they shot 63.1% (24 of 38) from inside the arc. Anthony Nelson led the way with 18 points, Bilal Benn pulled down 12 rebounds and Niagara combined for 7 blocks in a hard fought win.

On Saturday, Niagara took it to Central Florida with a 17 point victory. Niagara with good shooting (46.2% effective FG%) and holding Central Florida to 4 of 23 (17.4%) from behind the arc and overall (35.1% effective FG%) in a convincing win. Niagara forced 23 UCF turnovers and outrebounded the Knights by 14. Demetrius Williamson led the way with 13 points as every member of the Purple Eagles scored and had at least one rebound.

However on Sunday, they let a halftime lead of 15 slip away in a 69-67 loss to Austin Peay. Niagara got out on a big 15-2 run in the first half to start the game and had a lead as large as 17 in the first half. The Purple Eagles shot 51% from the field in the first half (66.6% effective FG%) led by 8 three pointers; however, they only made 7 field goals in the second half (34% effective FG%) and Marcel Williams layup with 4 seconds to go gave the Governors their 6th and final lead of the night. Anthony Nelson led the way for Niagara with 15 points on 4 of 7 shooting. Demetrius Williamson had 12 points, all of which came in the first half. Bilal Benn added 12 points and a team-high 8 rebounds.

Story #3: The Rest of the MAAC: Did Not Impress

Frank Turner brought his best game: scoring 27, grabbing 6 rebounds, dishing out 7 assists in a 10 point victory over St. Francis (NY). Greg Logins and Julius Coles posted double digits for the Golden Griffins, scoring 13 and 11 respectively.

Iona led by 2009 Rookie of the Year Scott Machado’s 20 points and 6 assists, coasted to an 80-68 victory over Norfolk State. Iona forced 20 turnovers and made 23 free throws in their third straight win. They have proven to be a dangerous young team as Head Coach Kevin Willard told the New York Daily News, “We have six freshman and all six have worked hard and bought into their roles and paid attention to what they have to do to help us get (to 3-0).” Next stop for Iona is Orlando for the MAAC-hosted Old Spice Classic against Florida State.

Loyola could not score (31.2% effective FG%) and could not stop Jeremy Goode (23 points) and Jean Cajou (16 points) in a 63-44 defeat to their local rival Mount St. Mary’s. Brett Harvey led the way for Loyola with 12 points.

The Manhattan Jaspers could not keep up with William & Mary who made 12 three pointers in a 75-70 defeat. Antoine Pearson led the way for the Jaspers with 24 points on 7 of 12 shooting. Pearson made 5 of 8 three pointers. Nick Walsh scored 16 for the Jaspers as their only other double digit scorer.

St. Peter’s was awake for this afternoon game with Youngstown State, but could not convert from behind the arc in a 68-56 loss. Wesley Jenkins led the way with 19 points and 7 rebounds but made the only two three pointers the Peacocks had all night. Youngstown State was carried by Kelvin Bright’s 20 points on 6 of 10 shooting, 14 of which were scored in the second half.  Ryan Bacon, who poetically scored the first points of the morning on ESPN’s Tuesday Marathon, had 5 blocks for St. Peter’s.