Men’s Basketball Falls to Albertus Magnus, 78-75

NASHUA, N.H. – The Rivier men's basketball team fell to Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) opponent Albertus Magnus, 78-75, on Saturday afternoon at the Muldoon Center.

With the loss, the Raiders dropped to 10-8 (3-4 GNAC), while the Falcons improved to 9-9 (5-2 GNAC).

Junior Matt Constant became the third Raider to hit a three-pointer, helping Rivier jump out to an early 16-9 lead with 14:56 remaining in the first half. The Falcons responded with a 10-4 run, cutting the lead to just one and forcing the Raiders to call a timeout at the 11:10 mark. Albertus Magnus capitalized on the momentum, taking the lead on their next possession. Rivier answered back with an 11-0 run, capped by a driving layup from graduate student Kyler Bosse, to regain the lead at 31-23. The Falcons continued to fight, using an 11-2 run to reclaim the lead but late baskets from graduate student Joey Merrill and junior Robenson Baguidy helped Rivier head into the break with a 42-36 advantage.

A pair of free throws from Constant gave Rivier a 47-40 lead early in the second half, but the Falcons responded, tying the game at 56-56 with 12:26 remaining. Bosse hit a three-pointer, and senior Cheikh Gueye followed with a layup to restore a five-point cushion for the Raiders. Both teams then struggled offensively over the next five minutes until Albertus Magnus retook the lead with a three-pointer, making it 66-63 with 6:58 left to play. Rivier briefly regained the lead after more free throws from Constant, but the Falcons surged ahead, establishing their largest lead of the night at 72-68. Constant hit his third three-pointer of the game to cut the deficit to 74-73 with 27 seconds remaining. Following a pair of Albertus Magnus free throws, Bosse converted a quick layup to trim the lead to one once again. However, the Falcons sealed the game at the free-throw line, and the Raiders' last-second three-point attempt fell short, resulting in a 78-75 loss.

Bosse led the Raiders with 26 points on 10-of-15 (66.7%) shooting, including a perfect 4-of-4 performance from beyond the arc, while also contributing four rebounds and two steals. Constant followed with 20 points, fueled by a 9-of-10 (90%) effort from the free-throw line. Robenson Baguidy chipped in 11 points on efficient 5-of-7 (71.4%) shooting, and Joey Merrill added eight points and eight rebounds.

The Raiders begin a three-game road trip on Wednesday, Jan. 29, with a matchup against Lasell at the Lasell Athletic Center. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.