Mia Fantauzzi (12) leads the reaction on the Rivier bench to a big shot during the Raiders' GNAC play-in round win over JWU on Monday at the Muldoon Center. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

NASHUA – The tension was mounting at the Rivier University Muldoon Center early Monday evening.

The Raiders were enjoying a 13-point lead over Johnson&Wales Providence with about nine minutes to go in their Great Northeast Athletic Conference women’s basketball play-in game.

But suddenly, the lead had evaporated and JWU had closed to within 65-64 with 5:27 to go.

But point guard Jess Carrier then launched a 3-pointer that found nothing but net, igniting a 10-0 Raider run to eventually give them an 82-73 win. Their reward is now their seemingly annual trip to Saint Joseph’s of Maine in the quarterfinals tonight.

“I knew (the defender) wasn’t playing up on me,” said Carrier, who finished with 12 points and six assists. “My teammates were like ‘Shoot it, shoot it.'”

Lucky for them, she listened.

“That was a do or die moment for us,” Raiders coach Deanna Purcell said. “Either we were going to fold and give them the lead, or dig our feet in and defend it.

“A lot of teams don’t think (Carrier) can score, she’s such a good passer, she looks for her teammates all the time. But she can stick it when she has to. They kind of played a defense where they hung back on her, almost baiting her to score. When you tempt Jess with something like that, she loves a challenge.”

The Raiders (10-16 overall, 8-7 GNAC) have fought through a lot of adversity this season. They lost two starters, guard Hannah Muchemore and center Bea Stafford to season-ending injuries. But they hung tough in the conference, just like they did last night when leading scorer and top GNAC player Lyric Grumblatt, Carrier’s former teammate at Manchester Memorial, was held to just eight points, hitting the floor several times as Wildcats pulled no punches. But Alexa Dufries (20 points) and Rachel Guinn (17) helped pick up the slack, along with Carrier.

“I said to my assistant 82 points and I don’t think Lyric scored double digits,” Purcell said. “The fact that our bench really stepped up and contributed on the offensive end, and our starters, Alexa had 16 points in the first half. It just shows the depth that we have, the weapons that we have when teams think we’re just Lyric.”

The Raiders led 22-21 after one quarter, 40-35 at the half and then entered the fourth with a 58-50 lead. They were definitely having trouble with the Wildcats’ Peyton Oliver, who had 19 points, and Sarah Wasniewski, who finished with 17.

Rivier’s Jess Carrier goes up for two past JWU’s Sarah Wisniewski during Monday’s GNAC play-in game at the Muldoon Center. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

Rivier’s Jess Carrier goes up for two past JWU’s Sarah Wisniewski during Monday’s GNAC play-in game at the Muldoon Center. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

But perhaps it was all scripted, because the basketball gods always say the the Raiders and Monks should meet in the GNAC playoff game, no matter what round, seemingly every year.

“Every year that I’ve coached we’ve gone to Saint Joe’s (in Standish, Me.) for the second game,” Purcell said, “whether that was the semifinal, quarterfinal. But I like our chances. This team’s ready to fight.”

Which they did last night. In fact, all year. Now they have a challenge vs. the Monks, who went 14-0 atop the GNAC (18-7 overall). Former Hollis Brookline standout Elisabeth Stapelfeld is a key contributor for the Monks, averaging 9.5 ppg.

Still, the win gives the Raiders some satisfaction after what they’ve been through.

“Oh it’s huge,” said Carrier of advancing. “Our two seniors, we wanted to do it for them, give them one last game in the ‘Doon, and now we’re going to go on the road to Saint Joe’s of Maine, and we’re going to see how we can do there.”