Postseason Preview: Men’s Basketball Hosts Play-In Game Versus Colby-Sawyer
NASHUA, N.H. – After posting the most wins since the 2008-09 season, the Rivier men's basketball team has earned the eighth seed in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Tournament and will play host to No. 9 Colby-Sawyer on Monday, Feb. 19 at 7:00 p.m. at the Muldoon Center. This is the first home playoff game for the Raiders since they defeated Emmanuel (Mass.) in the GNAC Championship on Feb. 24, 2007.
First-year head coach Tom Glynn helped lead Rivier to a 14-11 (6-8 GNAC) record after the team went 2-23 (0-17 GNAC) a season ago.
After finishing last season on a 19-game losing streak, the Raiders earned a 74-68 victory over Roger Williams in the season-opener in November. After falling to MCLA in the next contest, Riv went on to win its next four games, with wins coming over Fitchburg St., Brandeis, Brooklyn, and UMass Boston. Salem St. snapped the streak with a seven-point victory which wrapped up the early non-conference slate.
Rivier then went on a five-game winning streak, spanning from Dec. 2 to Jan. 8 with wins over Emmanuel (Mass.), Framingham St., Elms, New England Col., and Lesley. After losses to Norwich and Saint Joseph (Conn.), Rivier righted the ship with a home win over Anna Maria to sit at 11-4 overall. Over the final eight games, Rivier went just 2-6, with wins over Colby-Sawyer in overtime and Mitchell on Senior Night.
Senior Devin Owens leads the squad with 17.3 points per game to go along with 4.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. Odarius Cade is second in scoring, notching 16.0 points per game to this point. Nikolas Pignone, Robenson Baguidy, Joe Melvin, and Woodson Jean Baptiste, and Ra'Quan Groves have all started this season and are key contributors. Rivier, as a team, is shooting 40.0% from the floor and 32.8% from deep.
The Chargers finished 9-16 (5-9 GNAC) and enter tonight's game on a four-game losing streak. Away from the Hogan Sports Center, Colby-Sawyer is a lackluster 1-10. In the opening matchup between the Raiders and the Chargers two week ago, Rivier hung on for a key 80-77 road victory in overtime. Colby-Sawyer holds a 16-11 advantage in the all-time series between the two squads, which days back to the 1992-93 season.
Chaz Cullum is the Chargers' leading scorer with 14.2 points per game over 24 starts. The guard is shooting 48.9% entering the postseason.
The winner of Monday's contest will advance to the GNAC Quarterfinals at No. 1 Saint Joseph (Conn.) on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. at the James A. Calhoun Gymnasium.
