NASHUA, N.H. – The Rivier men's basketball team earned their third consecutive win with a 72-66 victory over Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) opponent Dean on Senior Day on Saturday afternoon at the Muldoon Center.

With the win, the Raiders improved to 13-11 (6-7 GNAC) while the Bulldogs dropped to 13-9 (5-6 GNAC).

A dunk from senior Cheikh Gueye put the Raiders ahead 8-4 with 17:04 left in the first half. The Bulldogs answered with an 8-3 run to take their first lead of the game at 12-11 with 12:56 remaining in the half. Graduate student Ra'quan Groves responded with an and-one layup to put Rivier back on top, but a quick layup from Dean tied the game at 14-14. The Raiders then ignited a 9-2 run, capped by a layup from first-year Steph Barnes to extend their lead to 25-16 with 8:01 to go in the first half. Dean managed to cut the deficit to four, but back-to-back three-pointers from junior Robenson Baguidy and first-year Matt Youngquist pushed the Rivier lead to 10 at 31-21. The teams exchanged baskets in the final minutes of the half, and the Raiders went into halftime with a 37-29 lead.

Graduate student Kyler Bosse scored the first six points of the second half for the Raiders, but the Bulldogs answered with a 14-6 run to tie the game at 43 with 13:05 remaining. A three-pointer from Baguidy and an and-one layup from Barnes helped Rivier regain a five-point cushion at 49-44. Groves then took over, scoring 10 straight points to push the Raiders' lead to 56-46 with 10:38 left. The Bulldogs fought back, ultimately taking a 61-59 lead with just over four minutes to play after a 15-3 run. Senior Odarius Cade responded with a clutch three-pointer, and Groves added a steal and fastbreak layup to put Rivier back on top at 65-61 with 2:42 remaining. Cade nailed another late three-pointer, and Gueye capped it off with a tip-in layup, sealing the 72-66 victory for the Raiders.

Bosse led the Raiders with 21 points and four rebounds, while Groves added 13 points, five rebounds, and two steals. Cade chipped in 10 points, shooting 50% from beyond the arc (2-of-4) and grabbed three rebounds. Baguidy finished with 10 points, six assists, five rebounds, and three steals. Gueye contributed a team-high eight rebounds along with eight points and two assists.

The Raiders tallied 16 assists compared to the Bulldogs' five. Rivier also had a slight advantage in points off turnovers (16-12) and fast-break points (9-8).

The Raiders close GNAC play on Tuesday, Feb. 18 on the road against Michell at the Yarnall Athletic Center. Tip-off is slated for 7:00 p.m.