LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. – The Niagara women’s basketball team continued its skid with a 62-56 defeat against the Rider Broncs on Sunday in a game aired live on MSG Plus from Alumni Gym.

“We are looking forward to the (MAAC) tournament and preparing for that,” head coach Kendra Faustin said.

Liz Flooks had a game-high 17 points and Meghan Waterman notched a career-best 14 points as Niagara dropped its 23rd consecutive game.

NU (1-28, 0-18 MAAC) and Rider (5-24, 5-13 MAAC) each exchanged leads early in the first half, but it was the Broncs who held on a to a tender 26-20 halftime lead. A layup by Chanel Johnson two minutes into the second half cut the lead to 28-26, but Rider would go on an 18-4 run to build its largest lead of 16 points with 8:30 remaining. 

The tenth-seeded Purple Eagles will play No. 7 seed Canisius in the first game of the 2011 Spark Energy MAAC Tournament on Thursday, March 3 at Noon in Bridgeport, Conn. from the Webster Bank Arena at Harbor Yard.