Women’s Basketball Downs Elms, 80-55, in GNAC Opener
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Elms (3-10,0-2 Great Northeast) | 16 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 55 |
|
Rivier (5-7,1-0 Great Northeast) | 36 | 18 | 22 | 4 | 80 |
NASHUA, N.H. – Rivier women's basketball kicked off its Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) slate with an 80-55 win over Elms on Tuesday night at the Muldoon Center.
For the first time this season, five student-athletes contributed double-digit points for the Raiders, improving their record to 5-7 (1-0 GNAC), while the Blazers fell to 3-10 (0-2 GNAC).
Graduate Lyric Grumblatt scored the first seven points for the Raiders to finish with 15 at the end of the quarter. Rivier later put together an 11-0 run midway through the first quarter, extending its lead to 15 points. A driving lay-up from first-year Gianna Donato closed out the scoring for the Raiders and gave the hosts a 20-point edge at the first intermission, 36-16.
A pair of free throws from first-year Sydney Perry got things going for Rivier in the second quarter. Elms responded by going on a 10-2 run, but a Donato floater flipped the script and started a 12-2 run heading into halftime up 54-29.
Coming out of the break, the Raiders extended their lead to 37 off a jumper from senior Alexa Dufries forcing a Blazers timeout. Sophomore Alyssa Scharn rounded out the third quarter, cashing in on a lay-up to put Rivier ahead 76-43.
Despite scoring just four points in the final frame, the Raiders claimed their first GNAC victory in convincing fashion on their home floor.
Donato led the way with 21 points in just her third appearance for Rivier and first at the Muldoon Center. Grumblatt followed that up with 15 points of her own, adding six rebounds and five assists. Graduate Hannah Muchemore finished with 12 points, five steals, and four assists. Dufries also contributed 12 points off the bench on 5-9 (56%) from the field and 2-4 (50%) from beyond the arc. Perry rounded out the stats sheet with 10 points on 4-of-7 (57.1%) shooting.
The Raiders are back in action for more GNAC play on Thursday, Jan. 9 when they travel to Boston, Mass. to take on Emmanuel (Mass.). Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at the Jean Yawkey Center.
