Men's Basketball: Hale, Raiders top Lesley for first win of 2018-19

(Nashua, N.H.) A 45-point first half combined with a 16-point lead after the opening 20 minutes was more than enough as the Rivier University Men's Basketball team evened their 2018-19 record this afternoon with an 87-61 victory over visiting Lesley University in non-conference action at the Muldoon Gymnasium. The Raiders are now 1-1 while the Lynx drop their first game of the year.

Junior Nate Hale (Nashua, N.H.) powered the explosive Raider offense with a 20-point effort, shooting 9-ofo-15 from the floor while also pulling down five rebounds. Classmate Issaiah Chappell (Sunapee, N.H.) dropped 15-points and led the team with six rebounds as did freshman Jalen Watson (Woonsocket, R.I.) who finished with 15 points & six rebounds off the bench. Fellow rookie Patrick Myers (Wolfeboro Falls, N.H.) and sophomore Tarik Rivers (Stamford, Conn.) also reached double-digits with 11 and 10 points of their own.

Lesley had a pair of 20-point scorers as junior Treyvon Trent (Virginia Beach, Va.) & senior Joey Martin (Melbourne, Fla.) scored 21 and 20 points, respectively. Sophomore Chase Howard (San Diego, Calif.) added 10 points and led the defensive effort with seven rebounds.

Rivier will enjoy a few days off before they return to action on Tuesday night as they travel up to Castleton University for a 7pm non-conference tilt. Lesley, meanwhile, will also be on the road for their next scheduled game on Wednesday night at Westfield State. Tip-off is slated for 7pm.