NASHUA, N.H. – The Rivier women's basketball team held off a late Mitchell rally to earn an 80–74 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) victory Wednesday evening at the Muldoon Center.

With the win, the Raiders improved to 2-13 overall (2-0 GNAC), while the Mariners fell to 2-9 (0-2 GNAC).

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Rivier opened the game strong, scoring on back-to-back layups from sophomores Gianna Donato and Sydney Perry to take an early 6–3 lead.
• Graduate student Juju Nealy added a fast-break layup at 8:03 to push the advantage to 8–3 before Mitchell answered with back-to-back three-pointers to grab a 9–8 lead.
• Perry continued to dominate inside, scoring off an offensive rebound at 4:09 and later converting a layup assisted by sophomore Hannah Smith at 1:29 to help the Raiders close the first quarter ahead 20–15.
• In the second quarter, Donato drilled a three-pointer at 9:21 and later scored off a steal at 4:28 to extend Rivier's lead to 33–26.
• The Mariners fought back behind Peterson, who scored consecutive baskets at 2:37 and 2:23, trimming the deficit to 37–32 before Perry responded with a layup and free throw at 1:21 to keep the Raiders in front 42–35 at halftime.
• The third quarter saw Mitchell surge as Beddoe hit a driving layup at 8:23 and later buried a three-pointer at 1:01 to cut the Raiders' lead to 58–57.
• Perry answered with a clutch layup at 0:41 and a free throw at 0:01, giving Rivier a 61–57 edge heading into the fourth.
• In the final frame, Nealy took over at the line, sinking four straight free throws between 9:45 and 7:05 to push the lead to 68–60.
• Streitmatter of the Mariners kept the Raiders honest, scoring on a three-pointer at 6:50 and two late layups at 3:13 and 0:18, but Nealy and junior Haley Phillips combined for three free throws in the final 15 seconds to seal the 80–74 win.

BOX SCORE BREAKDOWN

• Perry led the offense with 25 points (10-15 FG), nine rebounds with three offensive boards.
• Nealy added 18 points, six assists, eight rebounds, including 8-for-10 from the free throw line.
• Donato followed close behind 17 points, four steals, three assists.
• Smith contributed eight points off bench on 4-7 shooting and added eight bounds and four assists.
• Junior Erika Fantauzzi recorded seven points, three rebounds, two assists.
• As a team, Rivier shot 42.9% from the field, 79.2% from the line, and scored 50 points in the paint.

UP NEXT
The Raiders return to GNAC play Saturday, Jan. 17, as they are set to host Lasell at the Muldoon Center. Tip-off is set for 2:00 p.m.