JERSEY CITY — There was a fleeting moment when Rider surged in front against the MAAC leader before it all came crashing down. Saint Peter’s scored 13 of the game’s final 15 points to take a 69-58 victory over the Broncs on Saturday afternoon at Run Baby Run Arena. “I felt like we did dumb s —,” coach Kevin Baggett said. He was referring to seven sloppy turnovers after his team took a six-point lead in the second half. He was referring to stupid fouls, including a technical on Caleb Smith as the game was slipping away, in the back-and-forth that always comes with a game against Saint Peter’s. “Stuff like that causes you to lose games,” Baggett said. “Dumb s—. Stupid stuff that you do. There’s no reason for us to do the things that we were doing today. We need to keep our composure. We had a number of guys who weren’t keeping their composure. “We got to this point where we started keeping our composure. Again, when the game is in the balance … our guys battled, they battled, they battled, we just go to be smarter. It got chippy. We can’t get chippy back with them. We got to stay focused. Let the refs determine those calls.” Ultimately, it was another loss for the Broncs (2-15, 1-7) in a season filled with them. One that has followed a largely similar script — with the exception being Wednesday night’s victory over Iona — in which they were unable to finish in close game. “We just got to be able to stay locked in for the full 40 minutes,” said sophomore guard Flash Burton, who scored a team-high 17 points. “Sometimes around the 32 (minute) mark, we kind of just lose focus. We got to figure out some way to build around that and stay locked in.” Rider’s Flash Burton lays the ball in the basket against Sainte Peter’s during a NCAA men’s basketball game on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026 at Run Baby Run Arena in Jersey City. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo) Rider trailed by 11 late in the first half, but scored the final six points to cut the deficit to five, and then used a 19-8 run at the start of the second half to take a 48-42 lead. Then the Peacocks ramped up their pressure and the Broncs couldn’t hold on to the ball. Saint Peter’s, which had four players in double figures led by Zaakir Williamson’s 20 points, ended up outscoring Rider, 27-10, from that point on. “Guys got to trust one another,” Baggett said. “When they are open, throw them the ball. We got to make better when they do get the ball and not turn it over. There were times when we broke the press and then turned it over.” The cellar-dwelling Broncs return to action on Monday against Sacred Heart for a MLK Day matinee. ...read more read less