Rider Holds Off Long Island, 63-59 In Charleston Holiday Classic

(boxscore)

12/29/05 -- Junior James Williams (DeSoto, Texas) scored a game-high 22 points, 14 coming in the second half, but it was not enough as Long Island University dropped a 63-59 decision to Rider University in the opening game of the College of Charleston Holiday Classic Thursday evening at Kresse Arena.

Freshman Tyrone Mattison (Toronto, Canada) had 11 points for the Blackbirds (3-5). Paska Morkelinuas (Kaunas, Lithuania) added nine points and a career-high 12 rebounds.

For the Broncs, junior Terrance Mouton (Lafayette, La.) registered 16 point and classmate Jason Thompson (Laurel, N.J.) added 15.

Rider, holding a seven-point halftime advantage, stretched its lead to 14 less than six minutes into the second stanza. A lay-up from Lamar Johnson put the Broncs ahead, 47-33 with 13:35 showing.

The Blackbirds would not go away quietly, running off a 22-7 spurt to take their first lead since the start of the game. Williams scored 13 during the run, draining his fifth trifecta of the game to move LIU ahead, 55-54 with 6:33 remaining.

The lead see-sawed but a tip-in by Edwin Muniz gave Rider a 60-58 advantage with 2:17 showing. Williams was fouled on the next possession, sinking the second of two to make the contest a one-point game, 60-59 at the 1:54 mark.

Rider would have five field goal opportunities- gaining possession on each play- in the final minute with a fall-away in the lane from Thompson giving the Broncs a 62-59 lead with 16 seconds on the clock. The Blackbirds turned the ball over twice in the final 11 seconds as Rider escaped with a four-point victory.

Junior Evan Meekins (E. Providence, R.I.) drilled his 100th career 3-pointer just 2:21 into the game to tie the contest at 5-5. Over the next 10 minutes, Rider compiled a 21-7 run to take a commanding 26-12 lead. Mouton drained three triples and Paul Johnson added five points during the sequence. LIU cut the advantage to seven at the break, 34-27, on a tip-in at the horn from Eugene Kotorobai.