Women’s Basketball Charges Past Colby-Sawyer, 84-61

NASHUA, N.H. — Graduate student Lyric Grumblatt recorded her eighth double-double of the season as the Rivier women's basketball team secured an 84-61 victory over Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) intrastate rival Colby-Sawyer at the Muldoon Center on Wednesday night.

With the win the Raiders improved to 13-10 (9-3 GNAC) while the Chargers dropped to 9-13 (3-8 GNAC).

The Chargers held an early 9-6 lead before Grumblatt sank a jump shot and a pair of free throws to give the Raiders their first lead of the night at 10-9 with 4:01 remaining in the first quarter. Rivier extended its run to 11-0, with baskets from four different players to push their lead to 17-9. Colby-Sawyer added a pair of free throws to close the quarter, leaving the score at 17-11 in favor of Rivier.

The Chargers trimmed the deficit to three, but back-to-back threes from graduate student Hannah Muchemore and senior Alexa Dufries reestablished a six-point cushion at 30-24. Grumblatt then scored seven straight points to close out the half, leaving the Chargers on their heels with Rivier ahead 37-35.

Rivier opened the second half with a 6-0 run, highlighted by a layup from senior Rachel Guinn, which forced the Chargers into a timeout with 7:38 remaining in the third quarter. Grumblatt and Muchemore kept the momentum rolling, scoring on consecutive possessions to push the lead to 48-35 at the 6:04 mark. The Chargers managed to trim the deficit to single digits with 3:44 left in the third, but a 12-4 run that was capped off by a three-pointer from Gianna Donato gave the Raiders a 64-46 lead heading into the final frame.

Muchemore scored five of Rivier's first seven points in the final quarter to extend the lead to 20 points with 6:01 remaining. Sophomore Emily Coleman and first-year Hannah Smith added late buckets as the Raiders cruised to an 84-61 victory.

Grumblatt finished with 25 points, including 3-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc, along with 13 rebounds, eight steals, and six assists. Muchemore contributed 17 points, seven assists, and four steals. Dufries added 12 points off the bench, shooting 5-of-10 (50%), while Donato also scored 10 points off the bench, hitting 4-of-8 (50%) and grabbing four steals. First-year Sydney Perry chipped in with eight points, five rebounds, a steal, and a block.

The Raiders forced a season-high 26 turnovers and outscored the Chargers 34-12 in points off turnovers. Rivier outrebounded the Colby-Sawyer 40-26 and recorded 22 assists compared to 14 for the Chargers. Additionally, the Raiders held advantages in bench points (32-21), second-chance points (23-8), points in the paint (38-24), and fast-break points (13-0).

The Raiders aim to extend their GNAC win streak as they host Dean on Senior Day, Saturday, Feb. 15 at the Muldoon Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.