(Paxton, Mass.) The Rivier Men's Basketball Team was defeated by the Anna Maria College Amcats by the score of 74-65 this evening at the Fuller Center. With the loss, the Raiders drop to 3-17 (2-11 GNAC) on the year. With the win, the Amcats improve to 12-8 (10-3 GNAC).
The AMCATS led from the opening possession, as Tyler Delorey (Worcester, Mass.) sunk a three-pointer to start the offense. The Raiders ran with Anna Maria for much of the opening 10 minutes, but the AMCATS used the final seven minutes of the first half to build a double-digit lead. The Raiders trailed 33-23 at halftime.
Anna Maria was able to break open a 25-point gap in the first seven minutes of the second half. From there, the AMCAT reserves took control, led by sophomore Trevon Farley (Lawrence, Mass.) with four points. Freshman Kenneth Graham (West Haven, Conn.) made three different trips to the free-throw line in three minutes of action.
The Raiders outscored the AMCATS 42-41 in the second half and rallied from the 25-point deficit to come within nine as the final buzzer sounded. The Raiders outscored the AMCATS 32-28 in the paint, but Anna Maria edged Rivier in points off turnovers (15-14), second-chance points (15-14), and fast-break points (6-4). Anna Maria's bench also held a 42-21 scoring advantage against Rivier's.
Anna Maria had good performances turned in by many including freshman Youssef Fodaile (Worcester, Mass.) with 17 points. He shot 6-for-8 from the floor with a three-pointer and a perfect 4-for-4 effort from the free-throw line. Junior Tyler Delorey (Worcester, Mass.) chipped in with 14 points, while senior Corey Pryor (Whitinsville, Mass.) added 11 points off the bench.
The Raiders had good performances turned in by Kywane Thomas (Hartford, Conn.) with 12 points, while Edward Soucie (South Ryegate, Vt.) added 11 points. Kevin Francis gave the Raiders a much needed spark off of the bench as he was able to contribute 8 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists for the Raiders.
In their next contest, the Rivier Men's Basketball team will host the Lasell College Lasers February 2nd at 4:30pm in a GNAC matchup. As for Anna Maria, they will travel to play Johnson and Wales University on Tuesday, February 2nd at 7:00pm in a GNAC matchup.
