Baker's near triple-double leads Raiders past Saint Joseph's

(Nashua, NH) All five starters scored in double-digits as the Raiders defeated the visiting Monks, 74-63 in front of a packed house inside the Muldoon Gymnasium this afternoon.

The game was a back and forth battle that saw several lead changes with the last one coming at the 11:41 mark when junior Ryan Baker (Whitinsville, MA/Northbridge) knocked down one of her 5 jumpers to give the Raiders a lead they would not relinquish.

Rivier was trailing at the half by 9 points but then proceeded to shoot 55.2% in the second half to secure the win.

Baker paced the Rivier offense as she finished 5-for-12 from the floor and 3-of-4 from the line on her way to 15 points. Baker also dished out 7 assists and collected 8 rebounds. Juniors A.J. Guidi (Derry, NH/Pinkerton) and Erin Sweeney (Chicopee, MA/Chicopee Comprehensive) both added 13 points while sophomore Deanna Purcell (Hudson, NH/Alvrine) and junior Laura Yesu (Longmeadow, MA/Longmeadow) had 11 and 10 points, respectively.

For Saint Joseph's College, freshman Morgan Cahill (Yarmouth, ME/Yarmouth) was the game's leading scorer with 22 points – a 10-for-15 performance. She also collected 7 rebounds. Senior Danyelle Sufelt (Sutton, VT/Lyndon Institute) also added 21 points and 5 assists for the Monks, who fall to 7-6 overall on the season and a 1-1 mark in GNAC competition.

Both programs will be back in GNAC action on Tuesday night as the Raiders will look to stay undefeated in the conference with a 5pm tip-off at Anna Maria College. Saint Joseph's will host Simmons College in a 5:30 start time.