Women’s Basketball Closes Regular Season with 87-57 Win at Mitchell

NEW LONDON, Conn – The Rivier women's basketball team secured an 87-57 win over Mitchell in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action Tuesday evening at the Yarnall Athletic Center to conclude its regular season with a 15-10 overall record and 11-3 GNAC ledger.

The Raiders, who concluded the season on a five-game winning streak, won 11 conference games, the most in a season since the 2011-12 campaign.  

The Mariners fell to 2-17 (0-13 GNAC) with the setback.

Sophomore Alyssa Scharn opened the game with a three-pointer, but the Mariners quickly responded with a run, taking a 7-3 lead with 6:41 remaining in the first quarter. Back-to-back and-one layups from senior Alexa Dufries and first-year Sydney Perry put Rivier ahead 9-7, forcing Mitchell into a timeout. Out of the break, the Raiders extended their advantage as graduate student Lyric Grumblatt and first-year Gianna Donato added baskets, pushing the lead to seven with 2:40 to play in the quarter. The teams traded possessions down the stretch, with Rivier holding a 20-15 advantage after one.

Mitchell opened the second quarter on a 10-4 run to reclaim the lead at 25-24 with 5:19 left in the half. Donato responded with a three-pointer, and senior Jessica Carrier added a driving layup to push Rivier back in front, 29-25. The Mariners answered with a layup, but the Raiders closed the half on a 10-0 run, punctuated by a three-pointer by Donato in the final seconds, to take a 39-27 lead into the break.

Carrier and Grumblatt combined for 10 of Rivier's first 12 points in the third quarter, helping the Raiders build a 51-34 advantage with 5:36 remaining. Mitchell responded with a three-pointer, but Dufries answered with a three of her own, followed by a layup. Graduate student Hannah Muchemore added a jump shot before Dufries scored again and Scharn knocked down her second triple of the game to extend the lead to 63-41 at the 2:16 mark. Perry and Donato chipped in baskets to close the quarter, giving the Raiders a 68-43 lead heading into the final frame.

Dufries and Muchemore drained three three-pointers to push Rivier's lead to 79-50 with 6:18 left to play. Senior Rachel Guinn added a three-pointer of her own to help seal the Raiders' 87-57 victory.

Dufries led the Raiders with a season-high 21 points on 8-of-16 (50%) shooting while adding three rebounds. Grumblatt followed with 18 points on 6-of-10 (60%) shooting, including a perfect 5-for-5 from the free-throw line, and tallied a career-high 17 rebounds to record her ninth double-double of the season. Donato provided 16 points, knocking down four three-pointers and securing five rebounds. Perry contributed nine points and four rebounds, while Scharn added seven points, sinking two threes and adding two steals. Carrier posted a season-high six points and matched Muchemore for a team-high five assists.

The Raiders outrebounded the Mariners 46-29 and recorded 18 assists to Mitchell's 12. Rivier forced 18 turnovers, converting them into 26 points, while Mitchell managed just seven points off turnovers. The Raiders also held key advantages in second-chance points (17-7), points in the paint (30-20), fastbreak points (12-4), and bench scoring (42-22).

The Raiders now await the conclusion of the GNAC regular season for postseason tournament seeding.