Jamari Williams, left, helped Rivier top Bridgewater State on Saturday at the Muldoon Center. (Photo courtesy of Rivier Athletics)

NASHUA – The Rivier men’s basketball team defeated non-conference opponents Bridgewater St., 94-83, behind 20-point performances from seniors Izaiah Shaw-Glen, Robenson Baguidy, and Jamari Williams Saturday afternoon at the Muldoon Center.

With the win, the Raiders improved to 5-5, while the Bears fell to 1-7.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Baguidy opened the scoring for Rivier, knocking down a three on the first possession.Junior Theo Briscoe IV finished a fast-break layup moments later to give the Raiders an early 5-0 lead.

Both teams traded baskets through the opening stretch, but interior scoring from first-year Daylen Dalcour and senior Shaw-Glen helped Rivier move in front 20-15 midway through the half. Sophomore Matt Youngquist buried a three off a pass from Baguidy to extend the Raiders’ lead to double digits.

In the final minute of the half, Shaw-Glen sparked a surge with a score in the paint off a steal by sophomore Steph Barnes and later assisted senior Williams in transition for Rivier’s largest lead of the period, 43-31.

A late Bridgewater St. tip-in cut into the margin, but Rivier carried a 43-33 advantage into halftime.

Baguidy started the second half with another three, followed by a Shaw-Glen put-back to keep Rivier in control. The Raiders used a 15-8 run fueled by transition scoring to stretch the lead to 58-44.

The Bears responded with timely shooting, but Rivier countered each push with strong play inside and on the break. Shaw-Glen dominated the paint late, converting multiple second-chance buckets to keep the Raiders ahead.

Despite a late Bridgewater St. rally, Rivier closed strong at the line and secured the victory.

BOX SCORE BREAKDOWN

Three Raiders recorded 20+ point outings, with Shaw-Glen and Baguidy posted double-doubles…Shaw-Glen led the way with 24 points, 13 rebounds, and three blocks, followed by Baguidy with 23 points, 10 assists, and four board.

Williams added 21 points and seven rebounds

UP NEXT

The Raiders return to play Monday at Mitchell for a non-conference battle. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. at Yarnall Center.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

TRINITY (Conn.) 61, RIVIER 36

With the loss, the Raiders go into a three-week holiday break 0-9 on the season, while the Bantams improved to 8-1.

Rivier opened the first quarter with strong defensive pressure, forcing Trinity into several early contested jumpers and limiting the Bantams to just four points through the first four minutes of play

Sophomore Sydney Perry broke the scoring drought for the Raiders at 6:37, attacking the lane for a tough layup that made it 4-2. On the next defensive possession, Rivier tightened its rotations, forcing Trinity into a shot-clock violation. The Raiders worked the ball around the perimeter creating quality looks for sophomore Gianna Donato, who finished a physical drive at the 3:36 mark to keep the Raiders within striking distance.

First-year Madi Ricker provided early spark minutes, grabbing key rebounds and pushing transition opportunities. Despite the Raiders defensive effort, Trinity closed the quarter on a short run after converting second-chance looks, taking an 18-4 lead at the end of the first frame

The Raiders settled in during the second quarter as Donato powered the offense with multiple finishes in the paint. The Bantams continued to convert second-chance opportunities and pushed the lead to 38-15 at halftime break

In the third quarter, Rivier gained momentum with a five-point burst from Donato and Ricker.

Rivier delivered its best quarter of the game in the fourth, outscoring Trinity 10-6 and controlling the tempo for long stretches. Perry completely took over the quarter beginning with back-to-back layups to open the frame

Perry added two more strong finishes inside, attacking gaps in Trinity’s defense and giving the Raiders some much-needed offensive stability

The Raiders held Trinity scoreless for nearly four minutes during the middle of the quarter, their longest defensive stop stretch of the afternoon

Graduate student Juju Nealy added key rebounds and a late steal, helping the Raiders control possession and slow the game down.

Donato led the Raiders with 15 points, going 6-of-12 from the field, while adding 4 rebounds, and 2 assists.Perry delivered a strong all-around performance with 14 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 steal, including scoring all 10 of Rivier’s fourth-quarter points.

Perry and Donato combined for over half of Rivier’s total scoring

Trinity scored 25 points off turnovers and outscored Rivier 38-20 in the paint. Rivier collected 26 total rebounds, including 8 offensive boards

The Raiders scored 20 points in the paint.

Rivier held Trinity to just 6 points in the fourth quarter, their lowest-scoring quarter of the game.

The Raiders return to action back at the Muldoon as they host Gordon College on Wednesday, Dec. 30 at 4 p.m.

WOMEN’S HOCKEY

RIVIER 3, POTSDAM 2 (OT)

In overtime, the Bears fired eight shots to the Raiders’ three, but it was senior Jessica Driscoll who knocked home a rebound off a shot from senior Olivia Schultz to seal the 3-2 victory at Conway Arena.

This marks the Raiders’ first victory over the Bears in program history.

With the result, the Raiders improved to 6-4, while the Bears dropped to 4-5-1.

After the opening 20 minutes, Potsdam held a 12-5 shot advantage but went into the first intermission scoreless.

Potsdam took the 1-0 lead 4:41 into the second frame.

The Raiders tied it up about eight minutes later as junior Kayley Young found twine for the first time in her career, but 34 seconds later, sophomore Lillian Wojcicki gave the Raiders their first lead of the weekend with her first career goal, tipping in a pass from first-year Mary Kelley.

With the Raiders ahead one with 1:27 to play in regulation, Potsdam leveled the contest on an even-strength opportunity to force OT.

Junior goalkeeper Taylor Bruno recorded 28 saves in the win…Rivier slightly outshot Potsdam 38-30…The Raiders controlled 31 of the 57 faceoffs…Senior Jillian Hallee led the team with five blocked shots…First-year Lexi Davies went 5-8 from the dot.

The Raiders return to action after winter break with a road trip to King’s for a back-to-back non-conference matchup on Friday, January 2, at 7 p.m. and Saturday, January 3, at 3 p.m. at Revolution Ice Center.