Rider turns tables on Manhattan, advances to MAAC quarters

Dimencio Vaughn led Rider with 20 points as Broncs defeated Manhattan in MAAC tournament opener. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — On the heels of an overtime loss to Manhattan two weeks ago, Kevin Baggett preached the need to play a full 40 minutes against a Jasper team with a physical style.

Message received.

Behind five players with 11 or more points, the Broncs controlled both tempo and the glass, supplementing the offense with 42 rebounds in a 79-67 victory that advanced Rider into the quarterfinals, where it will face regular season champion Iona on Wednesday.

“Everybody was locked in, ready to go,” Baggett said as his team secured a second straight opening-round win. “I’m proud of these guys. We lost down there, so to come back and play as well as we did, it’s continuing to show growth for this team as the year goes on.”

“The guys played physical, so after we lost, we went back to practice and Coach emphasized being dogs and playing hard,” Ajiri Ogemuno-Johnson added. “That’s what we did as a team. We needed this one, so that’s what everybody banded together for.”

Rider (13-18) was aggressive from the onset, with Ogemuno-Johnson — who posted 15 points and 12 rebounds — securing three offensive boards in the opening minutes as the Broncs got off to a 21-8 start. But Manhattan would battle back, taking the lead on multiple occasions late in the first half before Rider unleashed another run to pull in front. With the opening stanza winding down and Allen Powell trapped in a double-team at the end of the shot clock, the Philadelphia native drew a foul on Jose Perez, who was then assessed a technical foul shortly thereafter as well. Powell made four of his five free throws, giving the Broncs a 42-36 halftime lead.

“I think I’ve been getting beat on the glass lately, so I just changed my mindset,” said Ogemuno-Johnson of his attacking mentality. “I’ve overcome that adversity in a way, and that’s what I did tonight. If you get offensive rebounds on me, I’ll get them on you.”

“We did a box-out drill for 10-15 minutes. If you don’t get the rebound, you stay on (the floor). (Baggett) emphasized it all the time because we were getting beat bad. A lot of the games we lost were just little stuff, offensive rebounds, and if you cut that out, you’ll win games.”

The second half saw the Broncs unleash eight unanswered points after a Samba Diallo 3-pointer opened the scoring out of the intermission, a run that extended the Rider lead to double digits, where it remained for most of the evening. Between Mervin James, Dwight Murray, Jr., and Dimencio Vaughn, each of whom having contributed to an 8-of-16 performance from long distance, it felt as though each make was a backbreaker for a Manhattan team unable to get a string of stops when it needed them.

“I think, as a senior, I’ve got to step up and show the younger guys what it is to win a playoff game,” Ogemuno-Johnson imparted. “That’s why I stepped up real big, because I knew at some point I would have to stay in the game and help everybody else.”

“I’ve got a lot of tools in my bag,” James said after his 16 points, which included a 3-pointer that snuffed out a potential Manhattan rally. “Whatever the game needs, I’ve just gotta go out there and do it for that day.”

Rider will need all hands on deck to defeat an Iona team that swept the Broncs in the regular season, handily defeating Rider in New Rochelle before winning a closer game on February 27 in Lawrenceville. Adding to the battle is Baggett’s elusive, quixotic quest to win a quarterfinal game, something his teams have been unable to do for the entirety of his 10-year tenure.

“One game at a time,” Baggett insisted. “We have to clean up some stuff, but as Ajiri said, I love these guys. They know we’ve given some games away and a lot of it has come off the glass at times, but if we can do the little things that we’ve been harping on — Mervin staying in the game without fouling out, DJ and Dimencio played unbelievable — we needed the win tonight in order to advance and play Iona, and that’s what we did. These guys set the tempo, and they were ready to go. They were hungry.”

“It’s the greatest feeling when you can reap the fruits of your labor. What we’ve been harping on all year long, knowing some of the things that got us beat, these guys have never wavered. I love them, I want them to be successful, I want them to win this tournament. My thing is trying to put them in position to be successful, so that’s where all my energy goes. It’s never about me, it’s about them.”