Rider defeats St. Peters 69-57

Mar 6, 2010 - 10:33 PM ALBANY, N.Y.(AP) -- Ryan Thompson scored 22 points to lift fifth-seeded Rider past fourth-seeded St. Peter's 69-57 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament quarterfinals Saturday.

Justin Robinson and Mike Ringgold added 15 points apiece for the Broncs (17-15), who reached the semifinals for the third straight year.

Rider advances to face the winner of Manhattan-Siena in Sunday's semifinal.

The Broncs attempted 46 foul shots, second most in tournament history, with Thompson making 11 of 12.

Ryan Bacon had 24 points for the Peacocks (16-14), while Jeron Belin scored 14.

St. Peter's pulled within 51-45 with less than 6 minutes remaining. Rider, however, held off the rally, going back up by double digits on Thompson's dunk with 4 minutes remaining.

Rider never trailed, racing out to a 17-3 lead and taking a 32-17 advantage into halftime.