SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – If Rider’s season could be rolled up and packed neatly into one 40-minute ball then Saturday’s Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference quarterfinal was it.

The Broncs scuffled, got hit in the face, bounced back, got hit again, came back one more time, but ultimately, never got over the hump, falling, 65-63 to Fairfield here at MassMutual Center.

“We fought right until the end,” said Rider coach Tommy Dempsey, whose team failed to reach the semifinal for the first time in four years. “They probably thought they had us buried three different times, but we were resilient and gave ourselves a chance right to the buzzer. I was proud of our effort.”

When the Broncs were buried, it was only after a frantic finish.

Up by three, Fairfield fouled Jon Thompson with 0.4 seconds left. Thompson hit the first before missing the second intentionally and Junior Fortunat’s tip came up short.
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