BOSTON – On a night where both teams struggled to shoot, coming in under 37 percent on each side, Emmanuel Saints women's basketball fell to the Rivier Raiders, 60-56, on Thursday night in Great Northeast Athletic Conference play on Andy Yosinoff Court.

The victory moves Rivier to 6-7 (2-0 GNAC) and is the Raiders first win over the Saints in their program's history. Emmanuel falls down to 5-7 (0-2 GNAC), as their 34-game winning streak over Rivier comes to a close.

Emmanuel fought from behind all evening as a 2-0 lead was their only advantage in the first half. After the opening bucket by sophomore Kaitlyn Bartash, the Raiders scored the next eight for an 8-2 edge. The offensive struggles leaked into the second quarter and despite shooting 26.7 percent in the opening half, the Raiders led 31-24 at the break.

The third quarter's opening bucket by Raiders senior Lyric Grumblatt put the Raiders ahead by 10 but launched an Emmanuel scoring run that eventually gave them their first lead since the opening field goal by Bartash.

Bartash and sophomore Kalia Saunders combined for the next 11 points, erasing the early third quarter deficit. Bartash scored three consecutive points, followed by a free throw for Saunders.

After more defensive stops, Bartash made back-to-back buckets to put the Saints down by two. Saunders capped off the 11-0 run with a layup-and-one, giving the Saints a 35-34 lead with 4:24 remaining in the third.

Despite losing much of the momentum, the Raiders response was swift as the visitors outscored the Saints 12-1 to finish the third quarter. First-year Gianna Donato scored six of Rivier's 12 points in the run that launched the Raiders back in front, 46-36.

Rivier led by as many as 12 in the fourth quarter, but the Saints had a final late surge in an attempt to secure the comeback win. Emmanuel used an 11-2 run to pull back within one possession at 50-47 with 4:39 remaining.

Despite more opportunities to close the gap or take the lead, the Saints never overcame the deficit they found themselves in as free throws down the stretch by Rivier held off the final charges in a 60-56 victory.

Grumblatt finished with a game-high 19 points to go with eight rebounds as the senior guard now sits eight points shy of breaking the school record for career points. Donato and senior Hannah Muchemore both chipped in with 14 points and five boards.

Saints graduate Olivia Matela had a team-high 14 points including 3-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc. Saunders added 11 points in 25 minutes while Bartash and senior Desiree Robinson finished with nine points each.

The Saints return to action on Tuesday, Jan. 14 with a trip to Salve Regina for a 5:30 p.m. game. The Raiders host New England College on Saturday, Jan. 11 at 2:00 p.m.