Men’s Basketball Falls to JWU (Providence), 59-49

PROVIDENCE, R.I. —The Rivier men's basketball team dropped a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) contest to JWU (Providence) on Saturday afternoon at the Wildcat Center, 59-49.

With the loss, the Raiders dropped to 10-10 (3-6 GNAC), while the Wildcats improved to 4-13 (2-6 GNAC).

Rivier trailed 14-8 with 12:07 remaining in the first half before graduate Kyler Bosse sank a pair of free throws to make it 14-10. The Wildcats responded with a 14-6 run over the next six minutes, extending their lead to 28-15 with 4:44 left in the half. Bosse then scored five straight points, and classmate Joey Merrill added two free throws, cutting the deficit to 30-22 with just under two minutes remaining. Junior Robenson Baguidy followed with a floater, and Bosse added more free throws to bring Rivier within four with 31 seconds to play but JWU (Providence) hit a late three-pointer to take a 33-26 lead into halftime.

Neither team found their rhythm early in the second half, with the Wildcats holding a firm 39-31 lead with 12:49 remaining. Junior Matt Constant drilled a three-pointer, and Baguidy followed with back-to-back layups to bring the game within one point at 39-38 with 11:07 left. JWU (Providence) quickly responded with a 7-0 run to push their lead to 46-38. Rivier continued to fight back, as Constant scored four straight points, followed by a layup from Bosse, bringing the game to 46-44 with 8:17 remaining. The Wildcats answered by closing the game on a 13-5 run, securing a 59-49 victory.

Bosse led the Raiders with 25 points and seven rebounds. Constant added 13 points and seven rebounds, while Baguidy contributed six points and five rebounds.

The Raiders return to action on Tuesday, Feb. 4 on the road against Saint Joseph's (Me.) at the Harold Alfond Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.