One of the few bright spots for Rider in the Broncs' 68-66 loss to Loyola was the play of freshman guard Jonathon Thompson, who scored seven points and provided an energy boost off the bench in 18 minutes.

Thompson hit one of only two Rider 3s in the first half and delivered with an emphatic two-handed dunk during the Broncs' 20-5 second-half run, which turned a 14-point deficit into a brief one-point lead.

Most importantly, though, Thompson has emerged as perhaps Rider's best perimeter defender -- a status that led Tommy Dempsey to put Thompson on the floor in the final minute against the Hounds.

"The kid’s just chomping at the bit to get more time," Dempsey said. "I’m trying to work him in. He’s demanding minutes right now. He’s adding to our energy level, he’s adding to our defensive group, and if we’re not going to be pretty on offense, I can live with that as long as we’re a little tougher and a little nastier on defense."

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Jermaine Jackson sat out with a mild ankle sprain. He was on the bench in sweats. ... Carl Johnson was available after missing six games with a cracked rib, but didn't play. ... Ryan Thompson made exactly one field goal for the third straight game. He's 3-for-22 during that stretch with 26 points. It was the fifth time this year the preseason MAAC Player of the Year made fewer than two field goals.