STANDISH, ME. — The Saint Joseph's College (14-6, 7-2) women's basketball team suffered a narrow loss to the Rivier Raiders (11-10, 6-4) 56-55 in a conference contest on Tuesday night at home.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The Monks and Raiders opened play with balanced scoring, leading to an 8-8 tie at the 5:40 mark of the first quarter. After briefly leading 12-10, Rivier responded with back-to-back layups, tying the score at 14-14 to end the quarter.

The Raiders went on an eight point run prompting the Monks to call a timeout with 7:52 remaining in the half. The Monks mounted a comeback, narrowing the gap to two points, but the Raiders answered with five straight points, restoring a seven-point lead at 26-19 with 3:18 left in the half. Rivier went into the break with a 30-25 lead.

The Monks came out strong in the second half, opening with a 12-5 run to reclaim their first lead since the first quarter.Rivier tied it up at the 6:00 mark but SJC continued to press, sinking back-to-back three-pointers to establish a six-point advantage and force a Rivier timeout at 43-37. The Raiders responded with a 7-2 run in the closing minutes, trimming the deficit to 45-44 heading into the final period.

Rivier began the fourth quarter with a 6-0 run, to take a 50-45 lead with 7:43 left. The Monks answered with an 8-2 run of their own, reclaiming the lead at 53-52 with 3:07 to play. With 53 seconds remaining, Rivier notched a pair of free throws to regain the lead (56-53). The Monks responded with two free throws to cut the deficit to one, but they were unable to capitalize on their final possession, allowing Rivier to secure the victory.

LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:

• Graduate Student Angelica Hurley (Groveland, MA) recorded a game high of 13 rebounds, five points, three steals, and six assists

• Junior Grace Ramsdell (Wells, ME) tallied 12 points, two rebounds, and two steals

• Elisabeth Stapelfeld (Brookline, NH) notched 12 points, five rebounds, and four assists

• Abby Dube (Groveland, MA) recorded 10 points and two rebounds

• Madison Lebel (Hermon, ME) added six rebounds and two points
   

LEADERS – RIVIER:

• Lyric Grumblatt led the Raiders with a game high of 23 points, nine rebounds, and five steals

• Hannah Muchemore added nine points and six rebounds

• Alyssa Scharn contributed eight points, four rebounds, and two steals

HISTORY:
The contest marks the Monks 30th time playing the raiders and only their sixth loss.