MEN'S BASKETBALL

2008/2009 Raiders

HEAD COACH: Dave Morissette
PHONE: (603) 897-8579; dmorissette@rivier.edu

ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH: George Noucas (Springfield College '69)
ASSISTANT COACHES:  Paul Williams
MANAGER: Liam McMahon & Matt Blair
CAPTAINS: Lance Bisson, Kevin Harrington & Felipe Lima
ATHLETIC TRAINER: Keith Rupp 

For recaps of previous games, click here.

March 23, 2009

Bisson and Morissette Earn All-State Honors

Senior point guard Lance Bisson and head coach Dave Morissette were recognized by the NH NCAA Division III Basketball Coaches Association for their outstanding season with Rivier Basketball.  Bisson earned first team all-state for the second consecutive season while Morissette was voted as Coach of the Year by his peers for the second time in his career.  The Raiders finished the season with a 16-13 record and made their first ever ECAC post season tournament appearance.  The NH NCAA Division III Basketball Coaches Association consists of the coaches from the 6 Division III schools in the state of NH; Rivier, Daniel Webster, Colby-Sawyer, Plymouth State, Keene State and New England College.  To view the entire All-State team, click here. 

March 8, 2009

Rivier Falls in ECAC Championship Game

Leicester, Mass. – Sophomore guard Rajai Leggett (New Haven, Conn.) netted 10 point, grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds, had 3 blocks, 3 steals and 4 assists and sophomore center Trey Jacobs (Lexington Park, MD) dropped in a game-high 20 points and fourth seeded Becker College used a clutch run early in the second half to pull away to a 89-73 win over seventh seeded Rivier College in the championship game of the ECAC Division III New England Men’s Basketball Tournament.
Becker College extending their school record for NCAA wins, finished the season at 22-8, the Hawks are just two seasons removed from a 3-22 record. The Raiders completed their season at 16-13.

Leggett, who was named tournament Most Outstanding Player, led the Hawks to a 9-0 opening run with two layups. After a Raiders timeout, junior forward Luke Brownell (Hubbardston, Mass.) broke the drought with a jumper at 15:55. The teams traded baskets and Becker had the biggest lead of the half at 13 points after two free throws from Travis Suber (Springfield, Mass.) at the ten minute mark to make it 24-11.

From there the Raiders erupted for a 19-8 run over the next 7:42 to take their only lead of the game at 33-32. Freshman forward Mark Williams (Malden, Mass.) converted a 3 point play, senior forward Felipe Lima (Nashua, NH) and freshman guard Joe Granato (Arlington, Mass.) both chipped in 5 points to help key the run.

Sophomore guard DeJohn Exum (New London, Conn.) put the Hawks on his back over the last two minutes of the half scoring 9 points going 3 for 4 from behind the three point arc to give Becker a 44-40 lead heading into the locker room.
Leggett, opened up the second half just like the first, scoring the first six points of the half. The Hawks build their lead to ten points, 50-40 and never looked back. They shot 60% (15 for 25) in the second half while limiting the Raiders to just 30% (9 for 30).

For the game the Hawks connected on 7 of 16 (44%) from 3-point range while Rivier hit just 7 of 24 (29%).  Raiders center DJ Poitras (Bow, NH) and Lima both finished with a team-high 13 points. Williams led the team with 7 rebounds.

March 7, 2009

RAIDERS WIN BATTLE OF NASHUA, ADVANCE TO ECAC FINALS

Nashua, NH – Against cross town rival Daniel Webster College, the Raiders of Rivier College wasted no time in taking advantage of their first ECAC tournament appearance in school history.  Just 3 minutes into the game Rivier took an 8-6 lead on a 3-pointer by sophomore Nick Bean and never looked back as the Raiders cruised on to a 75-70 victory.

It was a packed house as both teams brought their fans to the ECAC semifinal match-up between the #6 seeded Daniel Webster College Eagles and the #7 seeded Rivier College Raiders.  The Raider fans had much to cheer about as Rivier never trailed after the 3-pointer by Bean with 17 minutes left in the first half.  The Raiders extended their lead to as much as 12 points in the first half on a layup by senior Kevin Harrington with 8:30 left in the half, but the Eagles were able to go on a run and bring that lead down to only 4 with less than a minute left in the half.  A 3-pointer by senior Felipe Lima extended that lead to 7 as the Raiders took a 38-31 advantage into the locker room.

The beginning of the second half saw the Eagles come out with lots of energy as they were able to cut the lead to only 1 point at 51-50 with 11:00 left in the game.  However, Rivier once again had a response as they went on a 12-0 run to extend the lead to 63-50 and stuck a dagger in the heart of Eagle fans.  The Eagles tried to play catch-up the rest of the game, but could never manage to get the lead below 7 points until the last shot of the game when Brian Inge hit a 3 pointer that finished the game with a Rivier win 75-70.

Kevin Harrington led the Raider’s with 17 points followed by Nick Bean and Lance Bisson who each scored 15.  Lima added 12 points while Donald Poitras had 9 points and 9 rebounds in the Raider win.

The #7 Raider’s will play at 2:00 PM on Sunday, March 8 against #4 Becker College.  Please visit http://www.ecacsports.com/sports/winter/mbkb/index for up to date information regarding the championship game.

March 4, 2009

No. 7 Seed Rivier Upsets No. 2 Seed Colby-Sawyer, 72-62

NEW LONDON, N.H. – March 4, 2009 – The No. 2 Colby-Sawyer men’s basketball team was upset by the No. 7 Rivier Raiders in the opening round of the ECAC Tournament, 72-62, Wednesday evening.  The Raiders were led by senior Lance Bisson (Nashua, N.H.), who scored 20 points and dished out seven assists.  Senior Duncan Szeliga ended his Colby-Sawyer career with 20 points and a game-high 13 rebounds, for his third double-double of the season. 

The Chargers came out of the gates running as they jumped on top of the Raiders 15-4, behind the shooting of Szeliga and junior David Rosso (Wilmington, Vt.).  Despite some sloppy play from both sides, the Chargers were able to maintain their lead throughout the majority of the half, until Rivier went on a run at the end of the period. 

Bisson knocked down five straight free-throws and Kevin Harrington (Center Ossipee, N.H.) hit several big jumpers to bring the Raiders within three at 31-28 heading into halftime.  Rivier closed out the half on a 14-7 run. 

Szeliga collected seven points and seven rebounds in the first 20 minutes, while Rosso added eight points.  Andrew Ferreira (New London, N.H.) added seven points of his own for the Chargers. 

Rivier grabbed its first lead of the game at the 16:09 mark of the second half, when Harrington sunk a jumper, pulling the Raiders ahead at 35-33.  Rivier pushed its lead to five, until freshman Will Bardaglio (Wayne, Maine) hit his lone three-pointer of the game, putting the Chargers up by one.  The Chargers would grab one more lead at 46-44, but that would be it, as Rivier would pull away, going on a 17-6 run.

Along with the shooting of Bisson and Harrington, freshman Mark Williams (Malden, Mass.) scored 12 points on 6-8 from the field, and senior Felipe Lima (Nashua, N.H.) added 10.  As a team, Rivier shot 51.7% from the field in the second half and forced 25 turnovers. 

With his 20 points, Szeliga finishes his career with 1,324 points, ranking eighth on the all-time scoring list.  Ferreira scored 10 points in 13 minutes of play.  The Chargers finish the 2008-09 campaign with a 20-8 overall record.

With the win, Rivier will advance to take on No. 6 Daniel Webster, who upset No. 3 Westfield State, 78-58. 

March 2, 2009

Rivier Earns First Ever Men’s Basketball ECAC Bid

Nashua, NH -  Rivier College has been selected to play in the ECAC Post Season Tournament.  Rivier (14-12) from the GNAC will be the #7 seed and will square off against the #2 seed Colby-Sawyer Chargers (20-7) out of the TCCC.  This marks the first time in school history the Raiders will be participating in the ECAC Post Season Tournament.

Rivier and Colby-Sawyer last played in November in the Rivier College Tip-Off Tournament where the Raiders won a hard fought 67-63 game.   Wednesday March 4th, Rivier will travel to Colby-Sawyer College in New London, NH for a 7:00 pm tip-off.

ECAC New England Seedings:
1)  Lasell College                 18-9       GNAC
2) Colby-Sawyer College      20-7       TCCC
3) Westfield State                18-9       MASCAC
4) Becker College                19-8       NECC
5) Framingham State            15-12     MASCAC
6) Daniel Webster College     17-9       NECC
7) Rivier College                14-12     GNAC
8) Salve Regina University     14-13     TCCC

Wednesday March 4th Games
                Salve Regina @ Lasell
                Rivier @ Colby-Sawyer
                Daniel Webster @ Westfield Sate
                Framingham State @ Becker College

Saturday/Sunday March 7-8 
                Semi-Finals and Finals at highest remaining seed.

February 26, 2009

Bisson Receives 2nd Team Honors

Senior Lance Bisson has been named to the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) 2nd Team All-Conference.  After a fantastic senior campaign in which Bisson averaged 15.3 points, 5.5 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.65 steals per game Bisson has been recognized by the GNAC as one of its top players.  In conference play alone Bisson led the Raiders with 16.7 points per game and 5.16 assists per game and was third on the team in rebounds while playing the point guard position.  This marks the first time Bisson has been a GNAC All-Conference selection.

February 26, 2009

Poitras Recognized for Sportsmanship

Sophomore Donald Poitras is the Raider's representative on the conference's All-Sportsmanship Team. The All-Sportsmanship Team is comprised of 1 representative from each of the 10 GNAC institutions that sponsors men's basketball. Each player on the Raider team cast a vote as to who they thought best represented the Rivier College Men's Basketball Team in acts of sportsmanship. Poitras was chosen by his teammates to represent them on this team.

February 24, 2009

Rivier Falls in First Round

First-Ever GNAC Tourney Game at Alfond Yields SJC Victory STANDISH, ME – #3 Saint Joseph’s (19-7, 11-6 GNAC) handled #6 Rivier College (14-12 , 9-9), 85-67, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference quarterfinal contest on Tuesday evening. Tyler Kelley ‘11 (Saco, ME) went 4-4 from downtown in the first half and netted 16 points and Chris Davis ‘11 (New York, NY) added 15 in the victory, which was achieved in the first GNAC tourney game to be played on the parquet at the Harold Alfond Center. The win, coupled with a lopsided upset victory by #7 Albertus Magnus over #2 Emerson College, means the Monks will host the Falcons in a conference semifinal game on Thursday.

St. Joe’s led from buzzer to buzzer, but the game was closely contested as the victors did not hold a double-digit lead until 15 minutes had expired in the first stanza. The third time proved to be a charm for the Monks as Rivier, led by Lance Bisson ‘09 (Nashua, NH) and D.J. Poitras ‘11 (Bow, NH) with 17 points each, had defeated the Royal Blue twice during the regular season.

Kelley sparked the Monks with a three-pointer four seconds into the game as the hosts were on their way to building an 11-2 advantage in the first 3:48 of play. Rivier fired back into the game with a 13-5 surge and trailed by two, 16-14, after Felipe Lima '09 (Nashua, NH) made a shot from beyond the arc with 12:18 left in the first. The Monks were unable to gain a lead of more than seven points in the next seven minutes, as the teams essentially traded punches in a fast-paced stretch of play.

Scot Vachon ‘09 (Schenectady, NY) made his first of two freebies at the 5:49 mark to push the SJC lead to 36-28 and Kelley made his fourth trey of the contest 41 seconds later to provide his team with its first 10 point advantage. Alberto Rue ‘10 (Jamaica Plain, MA) connected on a three with 1:47 left and Alonso Davis ‘10 (Richmond, VA) went 3-4 from the charity stripe in the closing minutes to help St. Joe’s stake a 48-36 lead heading into intermission. The Monks grabbed eight offensive boards in the first period, four by Chris Davis, and netted 15 second chance points off the caroms.
Rivier started the second half with a jumper from Bisson and trey from Nick Bean ‘11 (East Longmeadow, MA) to cut the deficit to 48-41, but the Monks increased the cushion back to 12 points after captain Mitch Ouellet ‘09 (Fort Kent, ME) sank both freebies with 16:28 to play.

St. Joe’s would hang on to at least a 10-point lead for the remainder of the contest and went ahead by 18, 75-57, when Anthony Savino ‘11 (Portland, ME/Cheverus) made two free throws with 6:07 remaining. The Monks went 18-28 (64.3%), and 26-40 (65%) overall, from the line in the second half en route to the quarterfinal win. The 40 free throw attempts are the most in a game by St. Joe’s this season.

The Monks held a commanding 46-30 advantage in rebounds, with 16 coming on the offensive end. St. Joe’s outshot Rivier from the field, 45.5% (25-55) to 39.3% (24-61) and posted an impressive 47.4% (9-19) effort as a team from three-point distance in the win. The Raiders countered by shooting 22.7% (5-22) from downtown.

For St. Joe’s, Vachon netted 11 points and four assists, Ray Eatmon ‘10 (Huntington, NY) had 10 rebounds and six points, Elbie Murphy ‘09 (Loudonville, NY) notched eight points and three blocks and Rue scored eight and added four boards. Alonso Davis logged valuable minutes off the bench, scoring eight points and grabbing six caroms in just 10 minutes on the floor.

For Rivier, Lima had 14 points and five boards, Kevin Harrington ‘09 (Center Ossipee, NH) added nine and Bisson dealt out seven assists. Poitras went 5-6 from the field and 7-9 from the free throw line in the losing effort.

February 22, 2009

The Raiders Claim the 6th Seed in GNAC Playoffs

The #6 Rivier College Raiders will take on #3 Saint Joseph's College (ME) in the first round of the GNAC men's basketball tournament.  Click here for entire tournament seedings.

February 21, 2009

Raiders Drop Final Regular Season Game

BOSTON, MASS. – Emerson College (17-8, 13-5 Great Northeast Athletic Conference) overcame a slow start and rallied to defeat Rivier College (14-11, 9-9 GNAC) 64-55 in Great Northeast Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball action at Emerson’s Brown-Plofker Gym. The win sews up second place in the Conference for Emerson and the second seed in the GNAC tournament. The Lions will face Albertus Magnus College in a first round game at home on Tuesday at 7:00pm.

Emerson didn’t score for the first six minutes of the game and trailed 6-0 following a layup by Rivier’s Lance Bisson (Sr., Nashua, N.H.). A three-point shot by Tom Messinger (So., Florence, Mass.) finally broke the ice for the Lions at the 13:56 mark of the first half, but Rivier ran the lead to 16-7 following a three from Felipe Lima (Sr., Nashua, N.H.)at the mid-way point. Emerson battled back to get the game to within three at the half on two Jeremy Shannon (Jr., Lowell, Mass.,) free throws with three ticks remaining in the opening stanza.

Shannon opened the second half with a jumper to pull the Lions to within 29-28 just 16 seconds into the half. Following a layup by the Raiders’ Dj Poitras (So., Bow, N.H.) and a free throw by Bisson, Shannon hit two free throws and Nate Firn (Fr., Waldesboro, N.C.) scored a layup to forge the first tie since the opening tip. Two more Shannon free throws and a Bryan Rouse (Jr., East Greenwich, R.I.) foul shot were answered by a trifecta from Rivier’s Kevin Harrington (Sr., Center Ossipee, N.H.). A Bisson layup and a Nick Bean (So., East Longmeadow, Mass.) three forged a 40-35 lead for the Raiders.

Frin hit a layup and Messinger dropped a three to pull Emerson back even. Bisson then hit a layup but was called for a technical foul. Messinger hit one of the two technical free throws to cut the Rivier lead to 42-41. Shannon hit a layup on the ensuing possession to give the Lions a 43-42 lead that stretched to 45-42 on another Shannon layup. That was quickly answered by a Joe Granato (Fr., Arlington, Mass.) three ball to pull the Raiders even, but Emerson’s Zach Cole (So., Newton, Mass.) nailed a three to give the Lions a 48-45 lead with at the 9:30 mark.

After a Shannon Jump shot opened a five point lead, Granato drilled a three to cut the Emerson lead to two points. Shannon responded with a three ball of his own to forge a 53-48 advantage. A Bisson three cut Emerson’s advantage to 55-53 with 6:09 remaining. Shannon and Bisson then traded layups to keep the margin at two points with 5:27 left.

Neither team was able to score for the next minute and a half until Emerson’s Anthony Remias (Sr., Cranberry Township, Pa.) hit a driving layup on a beautiful feed from Shannon.  Messinger hit another three with 2:05 remaining to give the Lions a 62-55 lead and two Firn free throws with 0:47 left sealed the win for the Lions.

Shannon had a huge game for Emerson scoring 24 points (18 in the second half) and adding 13 rebounds and seven assists. Messinger was the only other Lion in double figures with 12 points.

Bisson’s 16 points marked the only Raider who was in double figures. Poitras had nine points and nine boards.

February 14, 2009

Saints Outduel the Raiders

Nashua, NH – After a close first half, the Saints of Emmanuel College broke open the game to take away a 92-79 victory against conference rival Rivier College.

The first half was played very close, with each team matching the other in both intensity and shooting ability.  With the score tied at 17 the Saints started on a 15-6 run to extend their lead to 9 points with six minutes to play in the first half.  Rivier was able to answer, but couldn’t overcome the deficit as they trailed at the half 42-34.

The second half started with the Saints on fire as they continued to extend their lead and led by as many as 12 points.  Rivier was never able to get closer than 6 points away as Emmanuel cruised to the victory.

The Raiders were led by senior Kevin Harrington who dropped 20 points on the day and scored the 1000th point of his career.  DJ Poitras added 16 points in the effort while Lance Bisson scored 14. 

Emmanuel’s Isaiah Duke led all scorers with 23 points while teammate Mike Jackson added 20 of his own.

The victory improves Emmanuel to 14-9 and 11-5 in GNAC play and moves them into third place in the GNAC standings.  Meanwhile, the Raiders fall to 13-10, 9-8 in GNAC play.  The loss keeps the Raiders holding onto the fifth spot with 1 conference game remaining.

February 10, 2009

Raiders Take Advantage of Late Game Mistakes

Boston, MA -- The Rivier College Men’s Basketball team (9-7 GNAC, 12-9 overall) used a 13-0 run in the last 3:57 of the game to pull out a 93-80 victory at Suffolk University’s Regan Gymnasium Tuesday night.

Brian Small led Suffolk (2-12 GNAC, 3-18 overall) with 21 points and 12 rebounds on 7-15 shooting. Sophomore Allan Ray added 14 points on 5-10 shooting off the bench for the Rams.

Kevin Harrington carried the Raiders’ offense with 22 points and seven assists on 7-13 shooting. Lance Bisson finished his night with 19 points. Dj Poitras added 18 points on 8-10 shooting and Felipe Lima shot 7-10 from the field and finished with 16 points.

The Raiders got off to a fast 10-0 start and remained hot for the rest of the game, shooting 60.7% from the field and 58.8% from three.

Suffolk trailed 44-34 at halftime despite the slow start, but tied the game at 53-53 with 13:23 remaining after a basket from Ray. The two teams continued to trade blows as the second half moved on and after a Bisson three, the Raiders had an 80-78 advantage with 4:41 remaining. A jumper from Small tied the game at 80-80 with 3:57 on the clock, but the Rams were unable to score for the remainder of the contest.

Nick Bean’s only two points of the game gave the Raiders the win and an 82-80 lead with 3:41 remaining. Suffolk trailed 84-80 after a jumper from Poitras, but the Rams committed three turnovers on their next three possessions, falling behind 91-80 with 1:28 left in the game.

February 7, 2009

JWU Men’s Basketball Downs Rivier, 64-54

Providence, R.I. – The Johnson & Wales University men’s basketball team posted a 64-54 win against Rivier in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference contest at the Harborside Recreation Center on Saturday afternoon.
Johnson & Wales freshman Lamonte Thomas (Providence, R.I.) led the way with 17 points, six rebounds and five assists while senior Justin Adams (Providence, R.I.) added 17 points and five boards.  Junior Darren Faust (Queens, N.Y.) was also in double figures with 10 points while freshman Robert Williams (Danbury, Conn.) rounded out the double figure scorers with 13 points for the Wildcats.

Sophomore Nick Bean (East Longmeadow, Mass.) led the way for Rivier with 14 points and three rebounds while senior Lance Bisson (Nashua, N.H.) added 13 points, two rebounds and two assists in the setback.

Johnson & Wales jumped out to an early 10-5 lead after a jumper by Faust with 14:09 left in the first half.  The Wildcats held the 19-18 lead on a pair of free throws with 6:21 left.  Rivier then went on a 7-0 run to take the 25-19 advantage on a jumper by Lima with 2:50 left.  The visiting Raiders then took the 27-23 lead into the locker room at halftime.  JWU shot just 25.9% from the field for the half with Rivier holding a 28-16 advantage in rebounds. 

JWU opened the second half with a 10-5 run to reclaim the lead when two free throws by Thomas put the team ahead 33-32 with 14:27 remaining.  The two teams would trade leads for the next five minutes with the score knotted 43-43 with 9:25 left.  The Wildcats then used an 11-4 run, capped by a three pointer by Williams to take the 54-47 lead with 3:48 remaining.  Rivier responded and cut the lead to just four after a layup by Bisson made the score 58-54 with :31 left.  That would be as close as the Raiders would get, however as JWU closed out the game on a 6-0 run en route to the 64-54 victory.

With the win Johnson & Wales improves to 9-13, 8-7 in the GNAC while Rivier falls to 11-9 overall and 8-7 in league play.

February 5, 2009

RIVIER DOWNS NORWICH, 75-62

NORTHFIELD, Vt. – Lance Bisson scored a game-high 19 points and grabbed six rebounds, and Nick Bean added 15 points and a game-high six assists to lead Rivier past Norwich, 75-62, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men’s basketball game Thursday evening at Andrews Hall.

Felipe Lima scored 14 points and snared nine rebounds, and Kevin Harrington netted 13 points for the Raiders (11-8, 8-6 GNAC).

Norwich (5-14, 2-9 GNAC) was led by Robert Thurman, who posted his fourth double-double of the season with a team-high 16 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Joshua Cabrera joined Thurman in double-figures with 12 points. Darell Marshall and Antonio Davis each chipped in seven points apiece for the Cadets, who have dropped three straight games.

Rivier used a 13-3 run early in the second half to turn a 46-43 lead at the 16:56 mark into a 59-46 advantage with 11:40 to play. The Cadets got no closer than 11 points the rest of the way. The Raiders extended their lead to as many as 18 points en route to the victory.

Rivier was on fire in the second half, hitting 15-of-30 (50.0 percent) field goals. Norwich, meanwhile, hit only 36.0 (9-of-25) percent of its shots after halftime.

The first half was a back and forth affair that featured seven ties and nine lead changes. The two teams played the first 10 minutes even, with the score knotted at 18-18 at the 10:11 mark. A 5-1 spurt by Rivier gave the Raiders a 23-19 lead, but Norwich responded with a 5-1 burst of its own to tie it at 24-24 with 7:31 to play before halftime. The game was tied for the seventh and final time of the half at 26-26 moments later, but the Raiders outscored the Cadets 16-11 to close the stanza and take a 42-37 edge into halftime.

Bisson led all scorers in the opening 20 minutes with 11 points. Bean and Lima each netted 10 in the first half to help pace the Raiders’ offense. Thurman spearheaded Norwich’s first half offense with eight points. Davis, Marshall and Cabrera each chipped in seven points apiece in the opening stanza for the Cadets.

Rivier shot 46.9 percent from the floor in the first half, while Norwich shot 43.8 percent from the field. The Raiders connected on four first half three-pointers, while the Cadets knocked down five long-range shots in the first half.

Rivier scored the first four points of the second half to extend its edge to 46-37 less than 90 seconds into the frame. Norwich bounced back by scoring the next six points to pull to within 46-43 a couple of minutes later, but then Rivier went on its game-deciding run.

For the game, Rivier shot 48.4 percent from the field, while Norwich shot 40.4 percent. Both teams nailed six three-pointers in the contest. The Raiders outrebounded the Cadets, 41-32.

February 2, 2009

Rivier’s 3-Point Shooting is Too Much for the Monks to Handle

Nashua, NH – The Rivier College Raiders shot 12-19 from three point range to keep their hopes of hosting a Great Northeast Athletic Conference tournament game intact.  The Raiders defeated the Monks of Saint Joseph’s College (Me.) 82-65 tonight at the Muldoon Health and Fitness Center in Nashua, NH.

Freshman guard Joe Granato (Arlington, MA) started the game in place of sophomore Nick Bean (E. Longmeadow, MA) who was out with the flu and the team didn’t miss a beat.  The game was close throughout the first half as both teams seemed to score at will.  Rivier junior Luke Brownell (Hubbardston, MA) couldn’t miss a shot as he scored Rivier’s first 6 points of the game.  Granato on the other hand couldn’t find the bottom of the hoop as he missed his first two 3-pointers, but his hustle and determination would pay off in the end.  Granato hit three 3-pointers, all within 5 minutes of the end of the half to keep Rivier in the game as St. Joseph’s took a 41-40 lead into the half.

Tied at 57 apiece at the midpoint of the second half, Rivier then went on a 11-0 run, extending the lead to 68-57 with 7 minutes to go in the game.  Every time the Monks tried to start a run, the raiders would answer with a 3-pointer at the other end as Granato hit three more to go 6-8 from behind the arc for the game.  Rivier’s three seniors also got into the act down the stretch as Lance Bisson, Kevin Harrington and Felipe Lima all scored in the final minutes of the game.

Rivier was led by Joe Granato’s 22 points on 8-10 shooting and 4 rebounds.  Felipe Lima added 17 points while Bisson had 15 and Harrington had 12.  DJ Poitras and Luke Brownell combined for 15 rebounds in the game.  St. Joseph’s forward Chris Davis led all Monks scorers with 14 points while Ray Eatmon added 10 in the loss.  Rivier gains ground in the GNAC standings with the win, improving their overall record to 10-8 while the Monks drop just their 6th game of the season moving their record to 13-6.

January 29, 2009

Rivier Upends Lasell Men’s Hoops

Newton, Mass.- Lasell College dropped a 74-70 decision against Rivier College tonight in GNAC men’s basketball action.  The visiting Raiders, who stand at 6-5 and fifth in the conference, gave the Lasers their first conference loss this season, and snapped an eight game win streak. 

In the first half, the Lasers struggled to find their shooting touch, hitting only 35.5% of their shots, as compared to Rivier’s 53.8%.  Lasell trailed at the opening tap, not taking their first lead until 16:59, when a jumper by Jose Guitian (Miami, FL) put them up 7-5.  Over the course of the next five minutes, the Lasers found opportunities, predominantly from around the perimeter, but were unable to connect, and were held to only 6 points as the Raiders inched back into the lead. 

At 11:45, Lance Bisson (Nashua, NH) dropped in a bucket in the paint for Rivier to tie at 13-all.  Rivier then regained control of the scoreboard less than a minute later, and did not allow the Lasers ahead again.  Lasell kept the score close over the remaining minutes of the half, and trailed at the break by four, 35-39.   
 
Rivier opened the second half on a nine point run to go ahead by thirteen by 16:30.  Lasell whittled the Raiders lead back to only six with Javon Williams (Mattapan, Mass.) and Corey Godfrey (Cambridge, Mass.) stepping in off the bench for some key plays to keep Lasell in the game.

 With one minute remaining, Rivier held an eight point edge, at 71-63, after another Bisson lay-in. Brad Caravoulias (Dracut, Mass.) drilled his way through traffic in the lane to add two to the Lasers side, and cut the deficit to six.  On the next possession, Godfrey was fouled on an offensive board, and was sent to the line for double-bonus, finishing both to come within four at 71-67, and thirty seconds on the clock.

The Lasers sent Bisson to the line in the next play, who hit the first of two, and Guitian snagged the defensive board on the second.  With the seconds ticking away, Kevin Richard (New Orleans, LA) found Guitian on the baseline, putting up a nothing-but-net three to cut the Raiders lead to two, with eleven seconds to play.   The Lasers were forced to foul again as the Raiders broke their full court press and Bisson hit both free throws to seal the game for Rivier.

Bisson ended the matchup with twenty two points, nine boards, and four assists.  DJ Poitras (Bow, NH) was a close second with 17 points and 7 boards.  Kevin Harrington (Center Ossipee, NH) finished in double-figures with twelve on the Raiders side.

Guitian ended with a game-best twenty two points, along with 13 rebounds and three steals.  Guitian also finished the game marking the history books once again for Lasell, as he became the Lasers’ all-time leading scorer, completing the contest having scored 1,594 career points, breaking the previous record of 1,584. 

Sainval and Caravoulias each dropped in eleven points and five grabs off the glass, and Godfrey added eight total points and four boards in the setback.

January 27, 2009

Bisson Named to GNAC Honr Roll

Rivier senior guard Lance Bisson was named to the GNAC weekly honor roll for his outstanding play during the week ending January 25th.  The Raiders went 1-2 during the week, playing all conference games.  Bisson started the week scoring a double-double against Albertus Magnus with 31 points and 10 assists in a 97-91 victory.  Then, traveling on the road, picked up 14 points and 6 assists in a loss to Mount Ida College.  Bisson rounded off the week dropping 23 points in a loss to Johnson and Wales University.  The 23 points on the night gave Bisson exactly enough to reach the 1000th point of his career in front of the home fans.

January 27, 2009

Norwich rolls into Nashua and Upsets the Raiders

Nashua, NH – The Rivier College Raiders dropped their third straight conference game tonight at the hands of Norwich University by a score of 73-69. 

The game was truly a battle of the bid men as Norwich’s 6’10” freshman Robert Thurman and Rivier’s 6’8” sophomore DJ Poitras battled under the hoop all night long.  Thurman scored 22 points for his team going 6-12 from the floor and 10-15 from the free throw line.  Poitras scored 16 for the Raiders going 7-10 from the floor, but couldn’t get to line nearly as much as his counterpart and ended the game only 2-2 from the charity stripe. 

The game was close most of the way through as Rivier jumped out to an 8 point advantage halfway through the first period of play, but Norwich answered right back and trailed by only 1 point at the break 33-32.  Rivier hung on to a small lead for half of the second period until Norwich freshman guard Darell Marshall was fouled by Rivier’s Lance Bisson with 12:00 left in the half.  Marshall proceeded to make both free throws to give the Cadets a 1 point advantage, and although there were a number of ties in the score after that time, the Cadets never trailed again in the game.

With the Raiders trailing 67-70 with only 1:44 remaining in the game, Bisson drove through the lane to hit a layup in traffic to bring the Raiders within 1.  Then a foul of Thurman at the other end gave the big man 2 free throws to help seal the game, but he missed both, leaving the door wide open for Rivier to take advantage.  However a missed 3 pointer at the other end by senior Felipe Lime forced the Raiders to once again foul Thurman and give him a 1 and 1 scenario at the line.  Thurman made the first, but missed the second, keeping Rivier’s hopes alive only trailing by two, 71-69.  With time winding down, the ball was forced into the corner and sophomore Nick Bean squared up for a three pointer that was blocked by Joshua Cabrera with 3 seconds left.  On a crowded inbound play, Lance Bisson couldn’t hold onto the ball and turned it over in traffic.  A quick foul by Rivier put Marshall on the line for the Cadets.  Marshall made both free throws and put the game just out of reach with a 4 point advantage 73-69.  Even with a heave from Rivier’s Joe Granato as time expired the game was lost and the Raiders new they had missed an opportunity to gain ground in the GNAC standings.

The win improves Norwich to 5-11 overall and 3-6 in conference play while the loss drops the Raiders to 8-7 overall and 5-5 in the GNAC.

January 24, 2009

Rivier Falls to Johnson & Wales 82-78

Nashua, NH – Rivier College (8-6, 5-4 GNAC) lost a tough GNAC game to Johnson & Wales (5-10, 5-4 GNAC) 82-78.  Johnson and Wales dominated the boards all night long to a 42-20 clip. 

The Wildcats lead by 5 at the half 38-33.  Rivier hung close  in the second half before a 10 nothing run made it 62-47 with 9 minutes to go behind the hot shooting of Lamont Thomas' game high 36 points.  The Raiders made one more run cutting it to three with two minutes to go but Johnson & Wales was to tough in the end.

Lance Bisson scored 23 points for the Raiders including his 1,000 career point while Nick Bean added 16.  Felipe Lima also chipped in 13.

January 21, 2009

Nick Bean Nominated for Academic All-America

Nick Bean, a member of the Rivier College Men's Basketball Program has been nominated for Academic All-America recognition. This marks the fifth student-athletes this season (four female basketball players were also nominated) to have excelled both in the classroom and on the basketball court.  Bean, who earned a 4.00 GPA last semester and maintains a cumulative GPA of 3.82, has started in 12 games this season averaging just over 33 minutes per contest.  Nick is averaging 13.2 points per game while shooting 47% from behind the 3-point line.  Bean's best game so far was against Lasell College, in which he led the team with 22 points

The College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) selects Academic All-America teams in 12 programs: football, women's volleyball, men's soccer, women's soccer, men's basketball, women's basketball, baseball, softball, men's track & field/cross country, women's track & field/cross country, men's at-large and women's at-large. To be nominated, the student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) for his/her career. To be eligible, an athlete must have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at his or her current institution.

December 9, 2008

Bisson Named to GNAC Honor Roll for 3rd Straight Week

For the third week in a row, senior guard Lance Bisson has been named to the GNAC Honor Roll for his outstanding play during two GNAC games over the past week.  During a loss to Lasell College, Bisson finished the game with 9points and 8 rebounds, however, the very next game Bisson led the team with 26 points and 6 assists against Emmanuel College.  For the week, Lance averaged 18 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists per game.

December 2, 2008

Lance Bisson and Mark Williams Named to GNAC Honor Roll

Senior Lance Bisson (Nashua, NH) and freshman Mark Williams (Malden, MA) were both named to the GNAC Honor Roll for the week ending November 30th.  The Raiders played only 1 game against New England College in which Bisson scored 15 points and had 7 assists in the 69-65 victory that moved Rivier to 3-0 on the season.  Mark Williams finished the game with a triple 6 (6 points, 6 assists, 6 rebounds) as he continues to impress opposition with his athleticism and skills.