Walch's late basket lifts Rivier over Mount Ida

(Newton, Massachusetts) -The Rivier University men's basketball team earned their fifth win of the season in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) contest to host Mount IDa College Saturday afternoon by a score of 69-68 in Newton, Massachusetts. The Raiders, who trailed by a very small amount for most of the contest, took the lead with six seconds remaining on a layup from junior Nick Walch (Dedham, MA/Dedham). The Mustangs had a chance to seal a victory with a last second shot, but senior Captain Jeff McNair's (Brockton, MA/Brockton) attempt was off the mark handing the Raiders the GNAC win.

The visitors collect their first GNAC win of the season improving to 5-3 for the year with a league slate of 1-2. Rivier will travel to Orlando, Florida the 28th and 29th of December to participate in the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) Holiday Classic with opponents to be announced.Mount Ida, who has one for contest remaining before the holiday break against hosting non-league Wheelock College next Tuesday at 7:30 p.m., fall to an overall record of 3-6 still searching for their first conference victory (0-3).

With six seconds remaining on the clock in regulation, Walch sunk a lay-in off a great pass from senior forward Garon Whitney (Dover, NH/Dover) to give the Raiders the 69-68 advantage and eventual victory. Before the go-ahead game winning bucket the visitors had not seen the lead since the 8:25 mark earlier in the second half.

Through the first seven and a half minutes of play, Rivier held a small seven point advantage up 15-8 after a successful lay-in from Whitney.

Mount Ida would counter riding a 16-4 run through the next three and a half minutes of action finalized after a good jumper by McNair up 26-19 with 8:47 remaining in the first stanza.

The visitors managed to tie the score for the first time in the game at 29-29 with four minutes to go before the midway point after a good lay-in from Walch.

The Mustangs would clutch a small one basket advantage through the next couple of ticks up by one (34-33) with a minute and a half to go.

In the final seconds, Rivier's Whitney threw up a prayer from beyond the arc that ultimately found the bottom of the basket to give the Raiders a 36-34 advantage heading into the locker room.

Rivier would take a six point lead through the opening two minutes of the second half up 36-42 after a good lay-in by junior forward Tom Poitras (Bow, NH/Bow).

From then on out no more than a basket or two separated the two squads throughout the remainder of the second half with four lead changes and the score knotting on five different occasions. Eventually Mount Ida would go ahead with 5:41 to go in the contest up seven (62-55) capped on a good jumper by junior forward Kenny Jean (Dorchester, MA/Brighton).

Rivier looked hungrier than Mount Ida down the final stretch and the Raider comeback would end up playing out cutting the Mustang lead down to a point after a good lay-up by Whitney with less than a minute to go in the game.

The visitors would ultimately regain the advantage on Walch's lay-in from a pin pointed pass from Whitney taking the 69-68 lead. Mount Ida's final attempt to take the win clanged off the rim sending the hosts home with their third GNAC loss.

For the Raiders, Poitras commanded the paint notching a game-high 20 points, five caroms and three boards on 8-13 shooting. Whitney would be one of two Rivier players to add a double-double tallying 16 points and 10 boards while Walch was the other player with double digit figures in two categories notching 14 points and 11 boards.

Leading Mount Ida was freshman forward Cam Walker (New Bedford, MA/New Bedford) with 18 points and five steals on 8-13 shooting from the floor. Sophomore guard Aaron Kelly (Norwalk, CT/Norwalk) went 4-10 from downtown recording 12 points while freshman Evens St. Juste (Hartford, CT/Bulkeley) added 19 points and seven boards.