Men's Basketball Drops GNAC Opener at Rivier, 71-62

NASHUA, N.H. – Ahamahou Sillah registered a double-double, scoring 17 points while hauling in 10 rebounds, to lead Rivier men's basketball past Emmanuel, 71-62, in the Raiders' Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) opener on Saturday afternoon at Muldoon Gymnasium.

The Raiders now sit at 6-2 (1-0 GNAC), while the Saints dropped to 3-4 (0-1 GNAC).

After trailing early, a Devin Owens layup gave Rivier its first lead of the game at 13-12 with 13:49 to play in the opening half. The margin would increase to as many as 12 on a Robenson Baguidy three-pointer with 8:51 left and then again on an Owens layup with 2:07 remaining. The trio of Sillah, Baguidy, and Odarius Cade all recorded 10 points in the opening half.

Ra'Quan Groves would score nine points off the bench to lead the Raiders offense in the second half, helping Rivier gain a 15-point advantage midway through the period. Down the stretch, the Saints would grind their deficit down to just four points with the help of a 16-5 spurt, including eight points by Donte Pope, but Rivier would close out regulation on a 9-4 run to put the game out of reach. Joe Melvin added 11 rebounds, including even offensive, in a heavy workload off the bench.

Following Sillah's 17 and 10 performance, Cade followed it up with a 15-point outing. Baguidy shot 5-11 (45.0%) from the field to register 12 points with four assists, two rebounds, and two steals.

Saints senior Ryan Grijalva had a game-high 21 points, shooting 9-of-15 from the floor in 29 minutes. Pope ended the night with 14 points and 14 rebounds.

Rivier shot 45.2% from the field, including 30.3% from deep, to help edge Emmanuel which was limited to a 15.4% percentage from behind the arc and 37.9% overall.

The Raiders outrebounded the Saints, 42-37, and garnered seven steals and five blocks.

After going winless in the conference in 2022-23, Rivier, led by first-year head coach Tom Glynn took down the Saints for the first in conference play for Rivier in 651 days and the first over Emmanuel since the 2017-18 season.

Rivier will step out of GNAC play for a Thursday night showdown with Framingham St. on the road, with tip-off set for 7:30 p.m. as the Raiders look to nab their seventh victory of the season. The Saints head to Connecticut College on Dec. 6 at 7:00 p.m.

** Release courtesy Rivier University Athletic Communications Office