Women's Basketball Bested by WPI in First Game of Pearson Memorial Tournament, 69-58

BABSON PARK, Mass. – The Rivier women's basketball team fell short in a non-conference matchup against Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), losing 69-58 at Staake Gymnasium on Thursday afternoon.

The defeat snapped the Raiders' four-game winning streak, dropping their record to 4-6, while the Engineers improved to 6-5.

After falling behind 9-2 early, seniors Lyric Grumblatt and Alexa Dufries scored on consecutive possessions, narrowing the gap to 9-7 with 1:41 remaining in the first quarter. The Engineers responded with a 5-2 run, ending the quarter with a 14-9 lead.

The Raiders kept battling, with a and-one layup from Grumblatt brought Rivier within three points with three minutes left in the half. The Engineers answered with a layup, but Dufries answered with an and-one layup of her own, cutting the deficit to 26-24. WPI closed the half with a three-pointer, heading into the break with a 29-24 lead 

WPI opened the half on a 14-6 run to extend their lead to 43-30 at the 4:34 mark of the third quarter. Senior Hannah Muchemore showed poise from the charity stripe, knocking down a trio of free throws while first-year Sydney Perry added a layup to cut the deficit to single digits at 44-35. The Engineers finished the quarter strong with another scoring run, extending their lead to 50-37 heading into the final period.

Despite Grumblatt's 13-point performance in the fourth quarter, the Raiders were unable to cut the deficit to less than seven points. Strong free-throw shooting by WPI down the stretch secured their 69-58 victory and staved off the comeback attempt.

Grumblatt led the way for the Raiders with 32 points to go with 4 rebounds. Muchemore and Dufries added 11 apiece to round out the double-digit scoring.

The Raiders now turn their focus to the second game of the Pearson Memorial Tournament, where they will face the hosts, Babson, on Friday, January 3, at Staake Gymnasium. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:00 p.m.