Men's Basketball survives for 67-63 win at New England College

Story Courtesy of New England College Sports Information

HENNIKER, N.H. – Rivier University's Nick Walch (Dedham, Mass.) recorded a double-double finishing with 18 points and 12 rebounds leading the Raiders past the New England College Pilgrims 67-63 in men's basketball action Tuesday evening.

With the win the Raiders improve to 3-2 on the season, while the loss evens the Pilgrims' overall record at 2-2.

The two teams would battle closely through much of the opening half before the Raiders would use a 7-0 run grabbing their largest lead of the half up 23-15 with 7:55 remaining on the clock. The Pilgrims would respond with a run of their own cutting the lead to just two over the next two minutes but Rivier would take advantage of 10 first half turnovers by NEC building the 32-28 lead heading into halftime.

Rivier would grab their largest lead of the evening just seven minutes into the second half up 14. NEC would have an answer as the Pilgrims would chip staying within striking distance and using a 9-0 run to cut the lead to 60-59 with 1:32 remaining in regulation.

NEC would force a Rivier turnover late but would not be able to convert on a three-pointer that would fall just short. Rivier's Jake Nelson (Nashua, N.H.) would come up huge down the stretch hitting a jumper with just over 30 seconds remaining and then hitting two foul shots in the final seconds securing the victory.

Rivier's Jake Nelson finished with a game-high 23 points on 8-for-13 shooting. Rivier's Tom Poitras (Bow, N.H.) was the only other Raider in double-figures finishing with 16 points.

Leading the way for NEC was Dezron Wilson (Hartford, Conn.) who finished with a team-high 16 points and nine rebounds. NEC's Jonathan Byrnes (Bethel, Conn.) chipped in 12 points, while Ryan Schmitz (Reading, Calif.) finished the game with 11 points.

NEC returns to action Sunday, Dec. 1 when they host non-conference opponent Suffolk University. Rivier will hit the court again on Tuesday, Dec. 3 when they travel to take on Suffolk University.