Men's Basketball hands Bisson his first win; down Anna Maria, 75-72

(Nashua, N.H.) The Rivier University Men's Basketball team handed Interim Head Coach Lance Bisson '09 his first collegiate win as they held on late for a tough 75-72 win over visiting Anna Maria College in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference contest inside the Muldoon Gymnasium on Thursday night. The Raiders are now 1-6 overall on the season with a 1-1 mark in the conference and a 1-1 record since Bisson was named interim head coach. Anna Maria, meanwhile, falls to 4-3 overall and 1-1 GNAC.

After allowing 42 first half points and facing a six-point deficit, the Raiders were able to make the necessary halftime adjustments and locked in defensively. Rivier battled back and took their first lead since midway in the first half when sophomore Andre Ruff (Chicago, Ill.) knocked down a jumper from 15 feet away. Senior Anthony Simmons (Stamford, Conn.) would then give the team the lead for good as he hit a 3-pointer with 1:22 left on the clock.

However, the game came down to the final possession. Ruff was able to corral a loose ball with under 10 seconds left and in the process of moving up court, was called for an offensive foul and then a technical which sent Patrick Bradanese to the line. Bradanese was able to make his first free throw but missed the second to make it a one possession game. The Rivier defense stepped up big as junior Kevin Francis (Cromwell, Conn.) stripped the ball and gained possession to give the Raiders their first win of the season.

Ruff finished the game with 24 points to lead the Raiders with senior Edward Soucie (South Ryegate, Vt.) adding 13 – including two huge free throws in the final minute. Simmons ended his night with 10 points and freshman Isaiah Ruffen (Haverhill, Mass.) collected seven rebounds and six points.

The Amcats saw Bradanese pace their offense with 21 points while collecting seven rebounds. Both Tyler Delorey and David Jean-Louis chipped in with 13 points and five rebounds.

Rivier outrebounded Anna Maria by a 34-29 margin but the Amcats were able to outshoot the Raiders, 47.4% to 46.4%.

Next up for Rivier will be Worcester State University in the Ed Hockenbury Tournament, hosted by Norwich University on Saturday night at 8pm. Anna Maria will remain in GNAC competition as they will travel up to Standish, Maine for a date with Saint Joseph's College on Saturday afternoon.