April 1, 2013
Rider’s final game of the season against Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference No. 2 seed Iona on Sunday at home holds promise for fireworks between two of the conference’s elite scorers.
Rider junior forward MyNeshia McKenzie is averaging 13.8 points per game, the fourth most in the MAAC conference, while Iona sophomore guard Damika Martinez is the conference’s leading scorer at 17.5 points per game. McKenzie is also second in rebounding in the conference at 9.6 rebounds per game after leading the conference last season with 9.1 rebounds per game. Martinez is averaging 5.3 rebounds per game for 14th in the conference and is one of the only guards on the leader boards in the category.
Although the two are officially listed at different positions, in past match ups between the teams they have ended up guarding one another and going head to head. Although McKenzie turned in the type of consistent performance she is becoming known for with 14 points in their last meeting, it was Martinez who proved the victor in a big way. She scored 31 points to go with seven rebounds as her team got a big 88-58 blowout victory over Rider.
“We pride ourselves on our defense and Iona beat us at our own game,” said McKenzie of the last meeting between the teams. “We’ve got to figure out how to break them down while keeping up our own defensive intensity.”
Martinez outscored Rider’s entire team in the first half of that game 24-20.
“Martinez is one of the top scorers and guards in the conference,” said Rider head coach Lynn Milligan. “She clearly showed why today. She was on a mission and we just didn’t have an answer. We put MyNeshia on her to try to shut her down but nothing worked. I feel like this next game should serve as redemption of sorts for MyNeshia, she’s very competitive and didn’t like how that last one went down.”
Sunday’s match up will be the second and final of the season between the two teams. Although Iona leads the all-time series against Rider at 22-13, the two split their series 1-1 last season in very competitive fashion. Rider will be looking to avoid the first sweep at the hands of Iona since the 2009-2010 season.
“Iona is one of our biggest rivals and you never want to get swept,” said Rider senior guard Sironda Chambers. “We just have to up our intensity and make sure not to get down early this time. You can’t dig yourself a hole against Iona.”
Another key match up in the game is that between Rider senior center Caitlin Bopp and Iona freshman center Joy Adams. Both lead their team’s defensive efforts in a big way and both are strong presences in the post. Bopp is averaging 9.5 points per game and 8.7 rebounds per game, the fourth most in the conference while Adams is leading the conference in rebounding at 10.1 rebounds per game to go along with 13.3 points per game. Bopp is also the conference’s second leading shot blocker at 1.9 blocks per game.
“When your 6 foot 2 inch center is filling the stat sheet, that’s what you need,” said Milligan. “Caitlin is playing great ball right now. She is on a mission and is bringing it every day.”
Rider is coming off two big wins against Saint Peter’s, 73-58, last Sunday, and Siena, 72-52, on Friday respectively. McKenzie struggled against Saint Peter’s with only eight points to go along with eight rebounds, however she rebounded well against Siena with 21 points and 11 rebounds, getting the better of another similar key match up with Siena leading scorer Lily Grenci.
“I just have to keep moving forward and not get discouraged,” said McKenzie. “It’s all about confidence.”
Iona, meanwhile, is riding a six game winning streak that began with their February 9 blowout of Rider.
While Iona is already locked into the No. 2 seed for the upcoming MAAC championship tournament, however Rider still has the opportunity to move from No. 4 seed to No. 3 with a win.
“We really need to aim for that No. 3 spot,” said Milligan. “It would help us in a huge way come tournament time, it’s really important for us to end the season on a good note. That being said though, this tournament is wide open and I believe we have a good shot against anyone.”
