Five halftime thoughts: Rider

1.) You would have taken an eight-point lead at intermission two hours ago, but the Dutchmen seemed ready to blow Rider out after runs of 10-0 and 8-0 gave them a 24-8 lead. But Rider has the momentum after cutting that 16-point lead in half with a 10-2 run that included three 3-pointers. The Broncs, who entered the game shooting 49 percent from beyond the arc, missed their first 11 shots from 3-point land.

2.) This is another fascinating maturation test for the Dutchmen. Rider is too good offensively to not come up with another run or two. Will the Dutchmen be able to withstand the Broncs’ flurries, continue clamping down on Rider outside and finish off a potent opponent on the road?

3.) It’s a very good sign the Dutchmen are up eight despite another rough first half for Charles Jenkins (five points on 2-for-9 shooting). If he has a second half like the one he did Friday, the Dutchmen are in very good shape.

4.) Dwan McMillan has been outstanding, racking up a team-high 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field and running the point efficiently. According to the WRHU announcers, the offense seemed less smooth once Jenkins replaced McMillan at the point late in the half. McMillan also committed a smart foul in the waning seconds, which effectively forced Rider to reset its offense and limited the Broncs to a desperation 3-point attempt at the buzzer.

5.) The first half could have ended better for the Dutchmen, but they are doing what they have to do to win—keeping this game on pace to play in the 60s. If that continues, the Dutchmen win.

Email Jerry at defiantlydutch@yahoo.com or follow Defiantly Dutch at http://twitter.com/defiantlydutch.