Women's Basketball suffers loss to Cadets on Senior Day

(Nashua, N.H.) The Rivier Women's Basketball team fell to the visiting Norwich University Cadets this afternoon at the Muldoon Gymnasium. With the loss, the Raiders drop to 9-12 (5-3 GNAC). With the win, the Cadets improve their record to 19-4 (6-3 GNAC).

Senior day here at Rivier University as the Norwich Cadets traveled to the Muldoon Gymnasium to take on the Raiders in a GNAC matchup. The first half was very explosive and filled with very good play from both teams. At first, the Raiders brought the game directly to the visiting Cadets. Using some home court advantage to aide in their attack, the Raiders quickly showed what they were all about. At the 14 minute mark, behind an 8-0 run by the Raiders, Norwich was forced to call time, in an attempt to prevent any further damage. Immediately after the timeout, Rivier stormed right back, adding an additional 9-0 run to push their lead to 27-10. With their backs against the wall, Norwich was forced to dig deep and try and fend off the fierce Raiders. How did the Cadets respond? With an excellent 7-0 run of their own to cut the Raider lead to just 10.

Poor shooting by the Cadets in the first half was the main reason for their troubles. Only 11 0f 35 from the field (31%) and 1 0f 12 from 3-point range (8%), the Cadets could not find a rhythm on offense. For the Raiders, their shooting percentages were much better than that of the Cadets. 13 of 28 from the field (46%) and 6 of 11 from 3-point range (54%) gave the Raiders the edge they needed to go into halftime leading 44-33.

The Raiders had good performances turned in by senior Deanna Purcell (Hudson, N.H.) who was able to record 22 points, 5 assists, and 3 rebounds while teammate Caitlyn Perry (Nashua, N.H.) was able to add an additional 12 points, 3 assists, and 2 rebounds. The Cadets had good first half numbers turned in by Heather LeBlanc (Sanford, Maine) who was able to record 13 points and 2 rebounds while Aliah Curry (Windsor, Mass.) was able to add 11 points and 4 assists for her team.

The second half was just as exciting as the first. Trailing by 11, the Cadets needed to get a better feeling on offense in order to keep themselves alive in this one. At the 14 minute mark, as a result of some excellent offensive and defensive possessions, the Cadets were able to put the Raiders on the ropes, capping a 12-0 run to pull to within 1 point. The Raiders however, would fight back the Cadets with some good offense of their own, pushing their lead back to 7. The Cadets, at the 8 minute mark, capped another impressive run of 8-0, tying the game at 62.

Down 77-75, with just 9 seconds left, the Raiders needed a last second shot to either win or force overtime. Some heads up defense by the Cadets led to a steal and foul by the Raiders with only 2.5 seconds left. With a 1 and 1 opportunity for the Cadets, the Raiders looked like they were in serious trouble. After missing the free throw attempt, the Raiders quickly called timeout with just 1.9 seconds remaining in hopes of getting a last chance shot. Unfortunately for the Raiders, they were unable to get off a good enough shot, resulting in their defeat.

Despite being on the losing end, the Raiders had some good numbers turned in by many players. Senior Deanna Purcell (Hudson, N.H.) recorded 32 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists. Caitlyn Perry (Nashua, N.H.) finished with 16 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds. Caitlin Bulger (Quincy, Mass.) and Savanna Butterfield (Londonderry, N.H.) each recorded 12 points for the team.

The Cadets had good performances turned in by Aliah Curry (Windsor, Mass.) who was able to record 28 points and 8 assists for her team. Heather LeBlanc (Sanford, Maine) scored 19 points and secured 5 rebounds while Kelsey Lotti (South Yarmouth, Mass.) added an additional 11 points.

For their next contest, the Rivier Women's basketball team will travel to Lasell College to take on the Lasers in a GNAC matchup. The game is scheduled for Tuesday, February 17^th at 6:00pm. For the Cadets, they will also be on the road to take on the Simmonds College Sharks in a GNAC clash. This game is set for Tuesday, February 17^th at 7:00pm.