CHICOPEE, Mass. – The Rivier University women's basketball team came up short in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play Tuesday evening, falling 62-43 to Elms College at Picknelly Arena.
With the loss, the Raiders fell to 2-22 overall and 2-9 in conference action, while the Blazers improved to 8-16 overall and 4-7 in the GNAC.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Graduate student Juju Nealy opened the scoring for the Raiders five minutes into the first quarter, finishing inside off a beautiful feed from junior Erika Fantauzzi
- Elms built early momentum, taking a 20-11 lead after the opening quarter behind strong interior play
- Rivier responded with its strongest offensive stretch in the second quarter, shooting 54.5 percent from the field and trimming the deficit to 31-28 at halftime
- Nealy provided a spark from long range, knocking down key three-pointers to keep the Raiders within one possession late in the half
- Elms created separation in the third quarter, holding Rivier to just four points
- Sophomore Hannah Smith and Fantauzzi accounted for the Raiders' only points in the third period, each finishing inside to keep Rivier within reach
- The Raiders continued to battle in the fourth quarter, highlighted by back-to-back three-pointers from Nealy and a second-chance basket from junior Haley Phillips
- Despite the late effort, Elms maintained control down the stretch to secure the conference victory
BOX SCORE BREAKDOWN
- Nealy led the Raiders with 14 points, connecting on four three-pointers
- Fantauzzi added 10 points and five assists
- Junior Emily Coleman recorded six points and seven rebounds
- Smith finished with six points in the effort
- The Raiders shot 34 percent from the field and 26 percent from three-point range
- The Blazers outrebounded Rivier 42-29 and scored 19 points off turnovers
UP NEXT
The Raiders will finish their 2025-26 campaign at the Muldoon Center for Senior Day, against GNAC opponents the Saints of Emmanuel College, Saturday, February 21. Tip-off is set for 2:00 p.m.
