Women’s Basketball Powers Past Regis (Mass.), 85-48

NASHUA, N.H. — Head coach Deanna Purcell '15 earned her 50th career win as the Rivier women's basketball team secured its largest margin of victory in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play, defeating Regis (Mass.) 85-48 on Saturday afternoon at the Muldoon Center, during the National Girls and Women in Sports Day game.

With the victory, the Raiders improved to 12-10 (8-3 GNAC) while the Pride dropped to 5-15 (4-6 GNAC).

Graduate student teammates Lyric Grumblatt and Hannah Muchemore scored the first nine points of the game, helping the Raiders take a 9-4 lead at the 7:52 mark of the first quarter. Sophomore Alyssa Scharn added to the tally with a layup and two made free throws, pushing the Rivier lead to 16-8. The Raiders closed out the quarter on an 8-3 run, highlighted by back-to-back layups from first-year Sydney Perry, giving Rivier a 24-13 advantage at the end of the first.

Sophomore Emily Coleman opened the second quarter with a layup, and Grumblatt followed by scoring ten consecutive points, including two three-pointers, to extend the Rivier lead to 21 and force the Pride into a timeout. Coming out of the break, senior Alexa Dufries hit a layup and then knocked down a three-pointer from the corner, pushing the Raider advantage to 43-13 with 4:21 remaining in the half. The Raiders capped off their 21-0 run with a scoop and score by first-year Gianna Donato, taking a 47-17 lead into the break.

Both teams came out of the break strong, but the Raiders maintained their lead, holding a 58-27 advantage with 5:12 remaining in the third quarter. Senior Rachel Guinn then nailed a three-pointer to ignite a 16-5 run over the final minutes of the quarter, extending the Rivier lead to 74-32 heading into the final frame.

First-year Hannah Smith halted a 6-0 Regis run with a mid-range jumper, keeping the Raiders ahead 78-38 with 6:13 remaining. After a pair of free throws from Donato, the Pride went on another 6-0 run before senior Anna Stawasz sank her first three-pointer of the season with 4:29 left, bringing the score to 83-44. First-year Lily Papatola capped off the scoring with a fast break layup on a feed from classmate Jocelyn Eosue as the Raiders cruised to an 85-48 victory.

Grumblatt led the Raiders with 25 points on 9-of-13 shooting (69.2%), including 3-of-4 from beyond the arc (75%), along with six rebounds and four assists. Donato contributed 13 points, six rebounds, four blocks, and three steals. Muchemore added 11 points, six rebounds, and four assists. Guinn finished with seven points and five rebounds, while Scharn recorded six points, seven rebounds, and four assists. Perry led the team with 10 rebounds, and Coleman was right behind with nine. Dufries shared a team-high four assists.

The Raiders dominated the boards, outrebounding Regis 61-24, and totaled 25 assists compared to just 12 for the Pride. Rivier also held advantages in fastbreak points (11-4), points in the paint (36-26), and bench points (36-9), while edging out Regis in second-chance points (11-10). Additionally, the Raiders shot 45.7% from the field, while the Pride shot at a 23.3% clip.

The Raiders aim to build on their momentum in a GNAC clash against Colby-Sawyer on Wednesday, Feb. 12, during the Mental Health Awareness Game at the Muldoon Center. Tip-off is set for 5:00 p.m.