Women's Basketball Drops GNAC Quarterfinal Matchup to Saint Joseph (Conn.)

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. — The Rivier women's basketball team fell short in the GNAC Quarterfinals, dropping a 93-84 decision to Saint Joseph (Conn.) on Tuesday evening at James A. Calhoun Gymnasium.

With the loss, the Raiders concluded their season at 15-11 (11-3 GNAC), while the Blue Jays improved to 17-9 (11-3 GNAC) and advanced to the GNAC Semifinals against No. 1 JWU (Providence) on Thursday, Feb. 27.

Graduate student Lyric Grumblatt sparked the Raiders early, scoring eight of their first 11 points to help Rivier take an 11-10 lead at the first media timeout. After a back-and-forth opening quarter, senior Alexa Dufries hit consecutive three-pointers, including a half-court buzzer-beater, to tie the game at 27-27.

The Raiders struggled to score early in the second quarter, going nearly four minutes without a basket as Saint Joseph surged ahead 37-27. Graduate student Hannah Muchemore and Dufries responded with three-pointers to cut the deficit to two, but a quick 10-0 Blue Jays run pushed their lead to 47-35. Late and-one conversions from Grumblatt and sophomore Alyssa Scharn trimmed the gap to 47-41 at halftime.

Grumblatt opened the third quarter with a three-pointer, but Saint Joseph answered with a 12-0 run to extend its lead to 65-48. The Raiders traded baskets with the Blue Jays, who maintained a 71-55 edge entering the final frame.

First-year Gianna Donato helped lead an 11-5 run to start the fourth, scoring six points and forcing a Saint Joseph timeout with 5:19 to play. The Raiders continued to push, cutting the deficit to nine with a corner three from senior Rachel Guinn at the 3:10 mark, but the Blue Jays immediately responded with a three-pointer of their own to put the game out of reach.

Grumblatt led Rivier with 34 points and 10 rebounds, securing her 30th career double-double and 10th of the season. Muchemore followed with 16 points on 6-of-12 (50%) shooting, including 4-of-8 (50%) from deep, while adding four assists. Dufries contributed 16 points, four rebounds, and three steals, and Donato chipped in 10 points off the bench on 4-of-7 (57.1%) shooting.