NEW LONDON, N.H. – The Rivier women's basketball dropped a road Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) matchup to Colby-Sawyer, 58-41, Wednesday evening at the David L. Coffin Field House.

With the loss, the Raiders fell to 2-17 (2-4 GNAC), while the Chargers improved to 7-11 (2-3 GNAC)

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Rivier's defense set the tone early, forcing multiple turnovers and keeping it tight after one, trailing 12-9 at the end of the first quarter.
• Graduate student Juju Nealy tied the game with a three at 9:40 of the second quarter.
• The Chargers closed the half on a 14-2 surge to take a 26-14 lead into the locker room.
• Early in the third, first-year Madi Ricker finished layup at 7:24 and sophomore Gianna Donato splashed a three at 6:55 to cut the deficit to 11, 30-19.
• Colby-Sawyer's advantage reached 22 late in the frame, mixing in scores from inside and the perimeter to take a 44-24 lead into the final 15 minutes of play.
• The Raiders opened the fourth with an 6-0 run behind threes from Donato and Nealy, cutting the deficit to 14 with 8:33 to go.
• The Chargers answered with more steady play, increasing their lead to 21 with 4:01 remaining.
• Rivier recorded three buckets in the final two minutes of action, with junior Emily Coleman knocking down a three followed Ricker contributed two scored inside the arc, before Colby-Sawyer sealed the 58-41 win.

BOX SCORE BREAKDOWN

• Donato led the offense with 13 points, followed by Nealy with 11 and Ricker with 10.
• Donato added a team-high nine rebounds and three assists.
• Sophomore Sydney Perry contributed two blocks and seven rebounds.

UP NEXT
The Raiders return to action Saturday, Jan. 31 for another GNAC battle with Saint Joseph (Conn.). Tip-off is scheduled for noon at the Muldoon Center.