Women’s Basketball Stymied by Saint Joseph’s (Maine)

NASHUA, N.H. – Rivier women's basketball fell to Saint Joseph's (Maine) in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) clash at the Muldoon Center on Tuesday night, 78-61.

The Raiders fell to 7-13 (5-5 GNAC) while the Monks remained perfect in GNAC play with their eighth conference win while moving to 12-7 overall.

Saint Joseph's took a 19-12 lead after the first quarter as Grace Ramsdell scored five points while hauling in three rebounds for the visitors. Alexa Dufries recorded five points and two rebounds of her own for Rivier.

The Monks' lead jumped to 12 points with 7:42 left in the opening half as Anderson hit a pair of shots followed by How's jumper from outside the paint, forcing the Raiders into a timeout. After the advantage jumped to 14 points with under three minutes left before halftime, Rivier whittled away at the deficit and cut it down to seven on an Anna Stenger bucket with 18 seconds remaining to go into the break down 35-28.

Both Ramsdell and Lyric Grumblatt led their respective squads with 12 points apiece at the halfway point.

Rivier was as close as five points in the early going of the third quarter before the Monks turned it on to take a 12-point lead heading into the final 10 minutes.

Despite an early pushback by the Raiders, the visitors would hit 14 of their 15 free-throw attempts in the final frame to pull away with a 17-point victory to stay unbeaten in league action.

Ramsdell shined with a 32-point, 14-rebound double-double for Saint Joseph's. Rivier's Grumblatt, the reigning GNAC Player of the Week, scored 26 points while hauling in six boards and recording four steals.

Rivier hits the road on Saturday, Feb. 3 for a GNAC competition against Regis (Mass.). Tip-off is set for 1:00 p.m. from Higgins Court.