Women's Basketball honors seniors; fall to Anna Maria 73-65

(Nashua, N.H.) The Rivier University Women's Basketball team honored both of their seniors this afternoon prior to the 73-65 loss against visiting Anna Maria College in the final home game of the 2015-16 season. The Great Northeast Athletic Conference defeat sends the Raiders' conference record to 3-7 (8-15 overall) while the Amcats improve to 2-8 GNAC and 8-15 overall.

Prior to the start of the game, Anjulisa Rhodes (Lawrence, Mass.) and Hayley Barnard (Bedford, N.H.) were honored in a ceremony marking the end of their careers in Raider Blue. Rhodes is a four year veteran with quiet leadership skills while Barnard spent only one year on the court and added a competitive spark to the program. Both seniors will be missed moving forward.

As for the contest, the Raiders mounted a late comeback as they outscored Anna Maria 20-7 over an eight minute stretch in the fourth quarter. However, the Amcats were able to hit their free throws in the final minutes to preserve the win.

Four different Raiders recorded double-digit points this afternoon with juniors Caitlyn Perry (Nashua, N.H.) and Rebecca DeBaldo (Pelham, N.H.) leading the way with 13 points each. Classmate Savanna Butterfield (Londonderry, N.H.) was one rebound shy of a double-double with 12 points and 9 rebounds. Sophomore Jennifer Thorpe (Attleboro, Mass.) added 11 points off the bench in the loss for Rivier.

Anna Maria saw junior Christina Gauvin (Dudley, Mass.) register the game high with 24 points, shooting 3-for-6 from beyond the arc and knocking down nine free throws. Sophomore Kristina Russo (South Windsor, Conn.) added 16 points and four three-pointers while junior Nicole Mareiro (Acushnet, Mass.) chipped in with 10 points of her own. The Amcats made a total of 12 three-point baskets in the contest. Senior Samantha Parker (Athol, Mass.) added eight points over her 17 minutes in the win.

Rivier will close out the 2015-16 regular season with a pair of road contests. First they'll travel to Lynn, Mass. for a non-association game against Fisher College on Tuesday afternoon before wrapping up the year with a GNAC game at Norwich University next Saturday (2/20) afternoon. Anna Maria will also have a Tuesday-Saturday schedule as they host both Trinity College (2/16) and GNAC foe Saint Joseph's College (2/20).