Women's Basketball: Raiders shark-bitten at Simmons

(Boston, Mass.) The Rivier University Women's Basketball team stumbled on the road this evening as they lost 71-63 to Simmons College in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference contest at the Moore Gymnasium. The Raiders are now 0-15 on the season with a 0-11 conference mark while the Sharks improve to 2-14 overall, 2-9 in league play.

Raiders junior guard Kaylee Kacavas (Dracut, Mass.) led all scorers with 32 points, including 12-13 from the free throw line, to net 30-plus for the second time this season. She also pulled down 10 rebounds in addition to six assists and four steals for the Raiders. Junior forward Lizzy Meehan (Nashua, N.H.) contributed with 10 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals, while junior forward Megan Hamel (Colebrook, N.H.) chipped in with a game-high 12 rebounds to go with five points, a block and a steal.

Simmons freshman guard Jalissa Rodriguez (Waterbury, Conn.) scored 22 points, including six three-pointers to tie the school record for trifectas in a game. She also added three rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals for the Sharks. Junior forward Molly Phillips (Cranston, R.I.) poured in 16 points, including four three-pointers to contribute to the team's season-high of 10 for the game and also pulled down seven rebounds, handed out an assist and came up with a steal. Senior forward Presley Silva (Wilmington, Mass.) posted her eighth double-double of the year with 15 points and 11 boards to go with five assists, four blocks and a steal, while junior point guard Rebekah Carroll (Londonderry, N.H.) scored 13 points, grabbed eight rebounds, dished for eight assists and made three steals.

The teams combined for 50 fouls and 57 free throws, including 24 fouls and 35 free throws in the fourth quarter. Simmons was 25-32 (78.1%) from the line, while Rivier shot 68% on 17 of 25 attempts.

The Raiders return to action on Thursday, February 1 when the host GNAC for Lasell College at 7:00pm, while the Sharks host Albertus Magnus College on the same night also at 7:00pm.