BOSTON, Mass. — The Rivier men's basketball team earned its first Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) victory of the season, defeating Emmanuel (Mass.) 87-81 on Saturday afternoon at the Jean Yawkey Center in a matchup where it led from start to finish.
The Raiders opened their conference schedule with a win for the second straight season, improving their record to 8-4 (1-0 GNAC) while the Saints fell to 1-10 (0-1 GNAC).
Rivier jumped out to a quick 14-5 lead, with contributions from three different players, highlighted by a trifecta of three-pointers from junior Matt Constant. Graduate Kyler Bosse kept the momentum going, scoring the next ten points to extend the Raiders' advantage to 25-15 with 9:29 left in the first half. A layup from senior Odarius Cade pushed the Raiders' advantage to 14 points at 34-20 with six minutes left in the half but Emmanuel (Mass.) responded with a 13-8 run to narrow the deficit to 42-33 heading into halftime.
The Saints cut the deficit to five early in the second half, but the Raiders responded with a dominant 12-0 run, capped by a scoop-and-score from Cade, pushing the lead to 54-37 with 16:42 remaining. Emmanuel (Mass.) fought back, narrowing the gap to 61-57 after converting a pair of free throws. Rivier responded with a quick 7-0 spurt, restoring a 12-point cushion with just over six minutes left on the clock. The Saints once again brought the game back within single digits with four minutes to play but Constant and graduate Ra'Quan Groves each drained a three-pointer, ultimately sealing the game at 82-68 with 1:47 to go. The Raiders held firm to claim an 87-81 victory.
Constant paced the Raiders with 25 points on 8-of-14 shooting (57%), including six three-pointers. Bosse contributed 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting (50%) and grabbed seven rebounds. Cade stuffed the stat sheet, posting 17 points, six rebounds, six assists, and five steals. Junior Robenson Baguidy and Groves each added ten points to round out the double-digit scoring.
The Raiders return to GNAC action on Tuesday, Jan 7, for their conference home opener against Elms at the Muldoon Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.
