Rivier's Lyric Grumblatt is mobbed by her teammates after becoming the school's all-time career scoring leader during the Raiders win Saturday over New England College at the Muldoon Center. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

NASHUA – Lyric Grumblatt wanted Saturday to be as normal as possible.

“It was mostly like any other day, I was trying to go into it like that,”the Rivier scoring sensation said.

But she and everyone at the Muldoon Center for what was a 73-51 Raider thumping of New England College knew otherwise. When you walked into the gym, to the left was a table full of pictures of a basketball with the No. 23 on it for fans to hold.

That’s because Grumblatt began the day nine points away from eclipsing the Rivier men’s and women’s basketball all-time career scoring mark of 2,192 established a decade ago by her coach, Deanna Purcell.

With 2:35 left in the first half, needing just one point for history, Grumblatt fired up a jump shot from the corner over NEC’s Amya Moss, fittingly with the banner listing the school’s top scorers in the background. She nailed it, and history was made.

Grumblatt didn’t get going offensively until midway through the first quarter, missing her first three shots before she had two breakaway layups, putting her five points away. Later, she missed a layup – “I was giving (Purcell) a couple of extra minutes,” she chuckled – but then hit a 3-pointer, putting her one away. The crowd was in anticipation of her breaking it on a simple 15 footer, but to prove how normal she wanted the day to be, Grumblatt spotted freshman Sydney Perry open underneath for the easy hoop, so she passed it.

As Riv coach Purcell said, “Today was a show of unselfish basketball.”

And then about a minute later, she hit the biggest shot of her career, a turnaround fadeaway from the corner.

“Like I said, I was kind of taking the shots I would normally take,” she said. “It was the shot to take at that point.”

For Purcell, the whole saga had a different dynamic, because it was her mark that her best player was breaking.

“It brought a different layer to it, right?” she said. “It wasn’t like she was breaking the school record of someone she didn’t know. Being able to play for me, and have that moment between the two of us was really special. We get each other on a different level than other player-coach relationships.”

So Grumblatt went ahead and tried to play her game.

“I don’t think I wanted to come out and take a million shots,” she said. “I think I did a pretty good job of taking my normal shots, and I knew it was going to happen eventually, I just didn’t want to rush it.”

Grumblatt’s mark could last a while. As for the men, the top scorer was John McMahon, who helped lead the Raiders to the GNAC title in 2007.

“I intend to run the numbers up the best I can,” Grumblatt said. “The funny part, all the milestone shots I hit have been 3-pointers. But the turnaround fadeaway has kind of been my thing, everyone knows it’s the ‘Lyric Shot’ in practice, so it was fun to do that for this.”

It was certainly a special and memorable Muldoon day. Purcell and Grumblatt addressed the packed house following the game. School officials were also on hand.

“This is a wonderful day for Rivier athletics,” Rivier President Sister Paula Marie Buley said. “It’s a great testament to Coach Purcell, to Lyric, to the whole team. … I am super proud. On the court, in the classroom, on the campus, Lyric is the whole package, and we’re really proud to call her a Rivier Raider.”

Rivier’s Lyric Grumblatt lets go of the historic shot that made her the school’s all-time men’s and women’s career leading scorer, right in front of the banner of the school’s top scorers, including her name that was added this fall in anticipation of her breaking Raider coach Deanna Purcell’s mark. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

Rivier’s Lyric Grumblatt lets go of the historic shot that made her the school’s all-time men’s and women’s career leading scorer, right in front of the banner of the school’s top scorers, including her name that was added this fall in anticipation of her breaking Raider coach Deanna Purcell’s mark. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

“I think it was a real special moment,” Raiders point guard and close friend of Grumblatt, Hannah Muchemore said. “Obviously if there’s anyone I would want to beat Coach’s record, it’s definitely Lyric. She earned it, she works every single day, day and night, to get where we were here today. It’s just a special team to be with and I’m happy she is with us.”

Grumblatt indeed has created a legacy.

“The biggest thing I wanted to do when I came into Riv, and since my time is coming to an end very shortly, is build that foundation of a family atmosphere and hard work, that’s going to be my legacy.”

As well as winning.

“Today they’re all here for Lyric,” Purcell said of the Raiders. “They’re all supportive of Lyric. But they all knew we want to make sure that we win that game so that Lyric remembers this day.”

There’s more for Grumblatt, as she is now 65 points away from the all-time Great Northeast Athletic Conference scoring mark. Which is most important for her, this school mark or the conference record?

Neither, it turns out.

“The GNAC championship,” Grumblatt said.

That’s the history Lyric Grumblatt has really her sights set on making, and it certainly wouldn’t be a normal day at all.