Thompson scores 31 to help Rider defeat Niagara 70-62

Rider defeats Niagara 70-62

LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. — Ryan Thompson scored 31 points and Rider defeated Niagara 70-62 on Monday night.

The Broncs (14-12, 7-7 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) trailed 37-23 at halftime after shooting 26.7 percent in the first half (8 of 30). However, Rider outscored the Purple Eagles 47-25 in the second half after a 56.7 percent effort from the field after halftime (17 of 30).

Niagara (13-13, 6-8) took a 51-40 lead with 12:26 left, but Rider scored the next 13 points for a 53-51 advantage on Jhamar Youngblood’s layup with 7:34 to go.

Niagara pulled within 61-58 on a Tyrone Lewis 3 with 2:29 remaining, but the Broncs answered with six straight points to lead 67-58 on Ryan Thompson’s free throws with 1:06 left.

Justin Robinson scored 14 points and Novar Gadson added 12 for Rider.

Lewis finished with 17 points and Bilal Benn had 10 points and 12 rebounds for Niagara.