Men's Basketball can't contain Wildcats, fall 101-59

(Nashua, N.H) The Rivier Men's Basketball team fell to the visiting Johnson & Wales University Wildcats this evening by the score of 101-59. With the loss, the Raiders drop to 4-20 (3-14 GNAC). With the win, the Wildcats improve their record to 19-5 (14-3 GNAC).

The first half was very tough for the Raiders to get through. The Wildcats, who had no intention of allowing the Raiders to get comfortable in this one, applied some stingy defense. With a rock solid full-court press, the Raiders had a lot of trouble getting the ball into the offense zone. When the Raiders did manage to get the ball to the offensive side, the Wildcat defense, with its excellent communication and speed, made it difficult for anyone to get open, resulting in hurried shots and a few turnovers.

At the 4 minute mark, the Wildcats began to expand on their lead scoring 6 straight. Up 40-24, it looked as if the Wildcats would run away with this one. In the final 3 minutes, the Wildcats outscored the Raiders 11-4 to take a 51-28 lead into half time. Despite the intense pressure put on by the Wildcats, the Raiders had a fairly solid first half shooting the ball. As a team, the Raiders shot 10 of 23 (43%) from the field including 3 of 6 (50%) from 3-point range. The Wildcats were on fire in the first half, hitting 19 of 28 (68%) from the field including 6 0f 11 from 3-point range.

The Raiders had some good first half numbers put in by sophomore forward Kevin Francis (Cromwell, Conn.) who led the Raiders with 9 points while teammate Andre Ruff (Lowell, Mass.) was able to add an additional 6 points and 2 Rebounds for his team.

The Wildcats were led by junior guard Tom Garrick (Seekonk, Mass.) who was able to score 29 points on 10 of 12 shooting from the field, including 6 of 8 from 3-point range. Quarry Greenaway (Westchester, N.Y.) added 8 points and secured 4 rebounds, while junior guard Robert Lewis (Providence, R.I.) was able to add 2 points, 6 assists, and 3 rebounds for the Wildcats.

The Raiders needed to play big in the second half in order to overcome the 23 point deficit they faced. To begin the second half, the Wildcats picked up where they left off, putting together a 10-4 run which saw Robert Lewis (Providence, R.I.) knock down two big 3-point shots. The Wildcats continued their dominance by outscoring the Raiders 50-31 in the second to take the blowout win.

The Raiders were led by Kevin Francis (Cromwell, Conn.) and Andre Ruff (Lowell, Mass.) who each scored 16 points. Senior Jake Nelson (Nashua, N.H.) was able to record 6 points, 2 assists, and 2 rebounds, while teammate David Lorden (Pepperell, Mass.) was able to add an additional 6 points.

The Wildcats were led by Tom Garrick (Seekonk, Mass.) who had a game high 39 points. Quarry Greenaway (Westchester, N.Y.) finished with 16 points, 2 assists, and 6 rebounds while Robert Lewis (Providence, R.I.) finished with 10 points, 6 assists, and 3 rebounds.

In their next, and final contest, the Rivier Men's Basketball team will travel to Mount Ida College to take on the Mustangs in their final GNAC regular season game. This matchup is scheduled for Saturday, February 21^st at 1:00pm. As for Johnson & Wales, they will also play their final game on the road against Saint Joseph's (Me.) This game is also scheduled for Saturday, February 21^st at 3:00pm.