STANDISH, Maine – The Rivier women's basketball team edged out Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) rival Saint Joseph's (Me.) in a 56-55 victory at the Harold Alfond Center on Tuesday night, marking its first triumph over the Monks since the 2017 campaign, snapping a previous 12-game skid.

With the victory, the Raiders improved to 11-10 (7-3 GNAC), while the Monks dropped to 14-6 (7-2 GNAC).

Rivier used scoring contributions from four different players to open the game tied at 8-8 at the 5:40 mark of the first quarter. After falling behind 12-10, senior Rachel Guinn and graduate student Lyric Grumblatt connected on back-to-back layups, evening the score at 14-14 as the first quarter ended.

A three-pointer from graduate student Hannah Muchemore, followed by five straight points from Grumblatt, forced the Monks to call a timeout with 7:52 remaining in the half. Saint Joseph's (Me.) fought back, trimming the deficit to two, but first-year Gianna Donato responded with five consecutive points to restore a seven-point advantage at 26-19 with 3:18 left in the half. Grumblatt then converted an and-one layup, and sophomore Alyssa Scharn added a free throw, sending the Raiders into the break with a 30-25 lead.

The Monks opened the second half with a 12-5 run, claiming their first lead since the first quarter. First-year Sydney Perry quickly evened the score at 37-37 with a fast-break layup at the 6:00 mark. Saint Joseph's (Me.) kept the momentum, knocking down back-to-back three-pointers to build a six-point advantage and force a Rivier timeout, trailing 43-37. The Raiders responded with a 7-2 run in the closing minutes, capped by a buzzer-beating layup from Guinn to trim the deficit to 45-44, heading into the final quarter.

Rivier opened the final frame strong, igniting a 6-0 run that was capped by a layup from Grumblatt to take a 50-45 lead with 7:43 remaining. The Monks answered with an 8-2 surge of their own, reclaiming the lead at 53-52 with 3:07 to play. A pair of free throws from Muchemore and Grumblatt put the Raiders back on top, 56-53, with 53 seconds left. Saint Joseph's (Me.) responded with two free throws to cut the deficit to one but came up empty on their final possession to seal the Raider victory.

Grumblatt led the Raiders with 23 points, nine rebounds, and five steals. Muchemore contributed nine points while recording a team-high four assists and grabbing six rebounds. Guinn added nine points off the bench, shooting an efficient 4-of-7 (57.1%) from the field.

Rivier forced 14 turnovers compared to the Monks' nine, leading to 17 points off turnovers. The Raiders also controlled the interior, outscoring Saint Joseph's (Me.) 28-18 in the paint.

The Raiders return to GNAC action on Saturday, Feb. 8 as they host Regis (Mass.) at the Muldoon Center in their National Girls and Women in Sports Day Game. Tip-off is slated for noon.