Rivier's Anna Stenger had 18 points to hel;p the Raiders roll past Mount Holyoke on Tuesday night. (Photo courtesy of Rivier Athletics)

Tuesday was a good night to be a Raider.

The Rivier men’s basketball team rallied back in the second half to defeat non-conference opponent Lesley University in Cambridge, Mass. Tuesday night, 106-95.

Not only did the Raider men (4-5) win, but the women did as well as they rode a big second half to defeat the Lyons of Mount Holyoke in non -conference action, 87-55, at the Muldoon Center.

In the men’s game, both teams found success throughout the first half shooting the ball. They both shot over 50% from the field. Lesley took 58.3% (21-36) and 66.7% (10-15) from three into the locker room. The Raiders weren’t far off either, with 56.3% (18-32) and 58.3% (7-12) from three. However, the Lynx took an 11-point lead into the break. Lesley led only in the statistical category of assists with 13 compared to Riv’s five.

The second half incredibly saw the Raiders shoot even better from the floor, going 20-for-31 (64.5%) and 5-of-9 (55.6%) from three. Rivier outscored the hosting Lynx 59 to 37 to make up the deficit and give them an 11-point victory. Rivier’s Miles Gillette (Washington, DC) went off in the half, dropping 20 points and pulling down six rebounds.

Overall, Gillette led all scorers with 29 points and 12 rebounds. Nikolas Pignone (Stoneham, MA) had his best game of the season, almost tying Gillette with 28 points of his own. He also contributed seven rebounds.

For the Lynx, Gabe McCrary topped the team with 22 points, seven rebounds, and six steals.

RAIDER WOMEN ROMP

The first half was an oddity for the Lyons as they shot for 83% from three and 50% from the field. This season they have shot an average of 22% from the field and 12.5% from three. This helped them stay neck and neck with the 4-4 Raiders, who had a tough shooting half. Overall, there were five lead changes in the half that saw Rivier up just one going into the break.

The second half was a completely different story shooting wise for both squads. Holyoke shot just 5.9% from the field in a two-point third quarter, while the Raiders shot 55.6% in a 25 point quarter. Riv would match that in the fourth while the Lyons only netted 17.

Manchester’s Lyric Grumblatt and Weare’s Anna Stenger finished as the top performers for the Raiders. Grumblatt had a game high 26 points with 10 rebounds and five assists. Stenger racked up 18 points with 12 rebounds and three assists.

For the Lyons, Annika Brooks topped the team with 19 points and nine rebounds.

NEXT GAME SATURDAY

Rivier men’s basketball will join the women’s team on the road at Albertus Magnus, with their game time coming at 3 p.m. while the women play at 1.