Men’s Basketball Shoots Past Brooklyn, 90-63

NASHUA, N.H. — The Rivier men's basketball team used 16 three-pointers to best Brooklyn in a non-conference clash on Saturday afternoon at the Muldoon Center, winning 90-63.

The victory improved the Raiders' record to 5-1. The Bulldogs fell to 1-5 with the loss.

Junior Matt Constant caught fire early, sinking four three-pointers in the opening six minutes to give Rivier a 17-8 lead and force the Bulldogs into a timeout with 13:18 left in the first half. The Raiders built on their momentum as senior Odarius Cade drained a three-pointer and classmate Cheikh Gueye scored on back-to-back layups to extend the Rivier lead to 16 points with 9:18 remaining. Brooklyn was able to trim the deficit to 10 before first-year Steph Barnes responded with back-to-back three-pointers, pushing Rivier's advantage to 33-14 with just under seven minutes to go in the half. The Bulldogs closed the period on a 13-7 run, but the Raiders held a 40-27 lead at the break.

The Bulldogs cut the lead to 11 with 17:53 remaining, but graduate Kyler Bosse responded with four points to push the Raiders' lead back to 15. Graduate Joey Merrill followed up with two three-pointers, extending Rivier's advantage to 52-33 at the 15:15 mark. The Raiders then sparked a 15-7 run over a four-minute span, capped by a fast-break dunk from Bosse, giving them a commanding 67-42 lead with 10 minutes to play. The teams traded baskets down the stretch, and the Raiders cruised to a 90-63 victory.

The Raiders shot an efficient 16-of-32 (50%) from beyond the arc compared to the Bulldogs' 3-of-15 (20%). Rivier also dominated the boards with a 36-27 rebounding advantage and lead in assists, 22-8. Additionally, the Raiders beat out Brooklyn in points off turnovers, 16-8.

Constant led the Raiders with 25 points on 9-of-17 (52%) shooting, including seven three-pointers. Merrill recorded his third double-double of the season, tallying 22 points, 15 rebounds, and five assists. Bosse added 15 points, four rebounds, and five assists. Barnes rounded out the double-digit scoring, providing 10 points on 3-of-6 (50%) shooting.

The Raiders will be back in action on Tuesday, Nov. 26, as they travel to face Plymouth St. at the John C. Foley Gymnasium. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m.