Highlights: Rivier Men's Basketball vs. Hartford
NASHUA, N.H. — The Rivier men's basketball team soared past Hartford, 72-61, in a non-conference bout on Tuesday evening at the Muldoon Center in the first-ever matchup between the two programs.
The win marks the first 2-0 start for the Raiders since the 2012-13 campaign. The Hawks dropped to 0-2 (0-0 CNE) with the loss.
After a sluggish offensive start from both teams, the Hawks held a narrow 6-5 lead at the 14:44 mark. The Raiders responded with a 7-0 run, highlighted by a fastbreak layup from senior Odarius Cade, which forced Hartford to call a timeout with just over 12 minutes remaining in the half. Out of the timeout, the Hawks answered with their own 7-0 run to reclaim a 13-12 lead. The Raiders surged back with back-to-back baskets from Cade and a layup from graduate Joey Merrill, pulling ahead 18-13 with 8:48 left in the frame. Hartford responded quickly, scoring 13 of the next 15 points to take a 26-20 lead with 4:36 to play. However, the Raiders closed the gap with a late run capped by a driving layup from junior Robenson Baguidy, bringing the score to 35-33 in favor of the Hawks at halftime.
The Raiders opened the second half with an empathic 16-0 run, highlighted by a 10-point individual scoring burst from junior Matt Constant to take a commanding 51-35 lead with 14:50 left in the contest. The teams exchanged baskets for the remainder of the game, with Rivier extending their advantage to 20 points after a pair of free throws by graduate Ra'Quan Groves, pushing the score to 72-52 with just under four minutes to play. Hartford was able to shorten the lead, but they were unable to stage a full comeback, sealing a 72-61 victory for Rivier.
Rivier forced 21 turnovers from the Hawks, including 12 steals from six different players, converting those opportunities into 23 points. The Raiders dominated inside, outscoring the Hawks 40-24 in the paint, and held a slight edge in fastbreak points, 19-10.
Cade led the Raiders with 16 points on 7-of-15 (46%) shooting, while also providing four steals. Merrill followed up with 15 points, shooting an efficient 6-of-9 (67%) from the field, to go along with four rebounds and three steals. Constant filled the stat sheet with 14 points, including two three-pointers, six rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Graduate Kyler Bosse added 10 points on 4-of-8 (50%) shooting and secured a team-high nine rebounds to round out the double-digit scoring. Baguidy played the role of maestro, orchestrating the offense with seven assists to five different teammates.
The Raiders hit the road for their first away game of the season on Thursday, Nov 14. as they face off against non-conference opponent, Fitchburg St., at the Parkinson Gym. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.
