Army Fourth Quarter Comeback Falls Short to Rider

WEST POINT – Army West Point women’s basketball’s (4-3, 0-0) fourth quarter comeback falls short, dropping the contest 59-57 to Rider (2-5, 0-0), on Saturday afternoon, at Christl Arena.

Army’s offense had a poor shooting night which allowed Rider to lead for most of the contest. The Black Knights made a last second push to tie the game but fell short at the free-throw line.

The team’s efforts were led by Sabria Hunter who recorded her fourth double-double of the season with 17 points and 14 rebounds. Alisa Fallon and Kate Murray each scored seven points for the Black Knights, while Fallon also recorded seven rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Off the bench, Kamryn Hall dished out four assists and picked up two steals while scoring five points.

Rider found its momentum early, taking the lead from the jump. Army struggled on offense shooting 20 percent from the floor. The Black Knights used the free-throw line to get their first points on the board when Hunter and Trinity Hardy each cashed in their shots to tie things up at 4-4. The Broncs continued their offensive groove to lead 15-14 at the end of the first. Army was winning the battle of the boards, 15-8, with Hunter leading the charge with four.

In the second quarter, Fallon hit a three-pointer early to cut Rider’s lead 20-19. Lauren Lithgow hit another trey a few minutes later to tie things up with the Broncs (22-22). Taylor Sullivan kept the momentum for the Black Knights recording four points and three bounds. Army finished the quarter with the lead at 31-27.

Rider made a push in the third quarter to lead 41-35 due to a 9-0 scoring run. Army struggled on offense, scoring only eight points and allowed Rider to scoring six points off turnovers. The Broncs kept their lead in the third, shooting 58 percent from the floor and 40 percent from the arc to lead 49-39 heading into the fourth.

Army chipped away at Rider’s lead but the Broncs were able to keep their distance from the Black Knights. Murray and Lithgow cashed in on two 3-pointers for Army to cut Rider’s lead to 51-47. With under a minute left, Hall drew a foul and sunk both free throws to tie the game at 55-55. However, Rider scored four straight points to lead with five seconds left.

Hunter, then, went to work in the paint for the basket and was fouled to send her to the line with one second left. She missed the free throw, but Hope Brown was fouled and was sent to the charity stripe. However, the Black Knights were unable to complete the last-minute comeback after missing both free throws.

Army will travel to Rhode Island to take on Bryant on Wednesday, Dec. 8 at 5 p.m.