Raiders defeats Wildcats 77-65

(Providence, R.I.) The Rivier Women's Basketball team defeated the Johnson & Wales University Wildcats by the score of 77-65 this evening in a GNAC contest. With the win, the Raiders improve their record to 8-9 (4-1 GNAC). With the loss, the Wildcats drop their record to 10-8 (2-2 GNAC) on the year.

The first half wasn't exactly filled with high scoring, fast-paced offense. In fact, both the Raiders and Wildcats shot relatively bad in the first. The Raiders were held to just 40% shooting on 10 of 25 from the field. Rivier was also held to just 33% shooting from 3-point range on 2 of 6 attempts. The Wildcats shot even worse. Out of 32 attempts from the field, the Wildcats were only able to convert on 9 of those attempts on 28% shooting. From 3-point range, the Wildcats were completely shut down, converting 0 of 9 attempts. Because of the low scoring in this one, the game remained close. Despite the slow offensive start, the Raiders did just enough to maintain a 27-23 lead heading into the break.

Johnson & Wales used an 8-2 run to start the second half and took the 31-29 lead with 17:30 left on the clock after a layup by Thompson.  The teams then battled back and forth with the score tied six times, including 55-55 with 8:21 left in the contest.  A 16-5 run by the Raiders, capped by a pair of free throws by sophomore Caitlin Bulger (Quincy, Mass.) gave Rivier its largest lead of the game, 71-60 with 1:26 remaining.  Rivier then held on down the stretch to take the 77-65 victory.

Rivier had good performances turned in by sophomore Caitlyn Perry (Nashua, N.H.) who scored a game-high 25 points and added 4 assists and 3 rebounds while senior Deanna Purcell (Hudson, N.H.) recorded 20 points and 9 rebounds for the Raiders.

Johnson & Wales had good performances turned in by freshman Ashley Thompson (Bellingham, Mass.) who recorded a team-high 18 points and secured an additional 7 rebounds. Freshman Raquel Pederzani (Coventry, R.I.) and senior Kaitlin Kenney (Branford, Conn.) each were able to score 14 points for the Wildcats while sophomore Jordan Neylon (Penacook, N.H.) almost recorded a double-double with 8 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.

In their next contest, the Rivier Women's Basketball team will travel to play Trinity College in a non-conference matchup. The game is scheduled for February 3^rd at 7:00pm. The Wildcats will return to action on Tuesday, February 3rd when they host Emmanuel in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference contest starting at 7:00pm.