THE BASICS 

Score: 
Emmanuel 87 – Rivier 70

Records: 
Emmanuel College Saints (13-5, 8-2 GNAC)
Rivier University Raiders (9-10, 6-5 GNAC)

Location: Boston, Mass. – Jean Yawkey Center / Andy Yosinoff Court

Date: Thursday, January 26, 2023

THE LEAD – After a close opening 20 minutes, the Emmanuel Saints women's basketball team came out of the locker room on a mission, outscoring the Rivier Raiders 25-12 in the third quarter, helping lead EC to an 87-70 victory on Thursday night in Great Northeast Athletic Conference play.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Saints came out on fire in the opening 2:30, starting the game on a 12-0 run. Emmanuel shot 6-of-7 from the floor in the early going to hold the 12-point edge. EC maintained that comfortable lead for most of the first, until the Raiders ended the opening quarter with the final eight points, over the last 2:05, cutting the deficit to 20-17 through 10 minutes of play.
• Rivier continued that momentum into the second quarter, taking their first lead of the evening, 27-25 with 6:23 left in the half, thanks to a three-point make by junior Lyric Grumblatt (Manchester, N.H.). That RU lead was part of a 9-0 run that put them ahead by as many as five in the second quarter. A Saints run to end the half of 14-6 would help them overtake the Raiders, as EC led 39-36 at the break.
• The Raiders stayed within a couple of possessions through the first half of the third quarter, but the Saints final 4:30 of the third came with a 14-2 scoring spurt, giving them their largest lead of the game to that point and a 64-48 edge, heading to the fourth.
• Emmanuel led by as many as 22 in the final quarter while the Raiders could never close the deficit to any closer than a dozen, as the Saints walked out of Thursday's GNAC game with an 87-70 victory.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Saints junior Kiera Eubanks (Portland, Maine) scored a career-high 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting. The junior forward added 11 rebounds in 33 minutes.
• Sophomore Yannie Chan (Hong Kong, China) chipped in with 19 points while matching a career-best with 10 assists.
• Junior Olivia Matela (Swampscott, Mass.) and sophomore Desiree Robinson (New Haven, Conn.) added 16 points each.
• Emmanuel held a 58-16 advantage in points in the paint while also shooting a season-high as a team at 57.6 percent.
• Raiders junior Hannah Muchemore (Nashua, N.H.) finished with a team-high 20 points to go along with eight assists.
• Sophomore Alexa Dufries (Leicester, Mass.) scored 14 points in 23 minutes, coming off the bench.
• Grumblett added 13 points while shooting 4-for-9 from beyond the arc.

UP NEXT

• The Saints return on Saturday, Jan. 28, welcoming Anna Maria to Yosinoff Court for a 3:00 p.m. tip in GNAC play.
• Rivier heads to Norwich on Jan. 28, facing the Cadets in GNAC action at 3:00 p.m.