Women's Hoops Closes Out Regular-Season With 83-61 Win at Rivier

THE BASICS 
Score: 
Emmanuel College, 83 – Rivier University, 61

Records: 
Emmanuel Saints (20-5, 15-2 GNAC)
Rivier Raiders (13-12, 10-7 GNAC)

Location: Nashua, N.H. – Muldoon Center

Date: Saturday, February 18, 2023

THE LEAD – Emmanuel College junior guard Olivia Matela (Swampscott, Mass.) posted a double-double of 14 points to go with 16 rebounds to power EC past Rivier University, 83-61, Saturday afternoon in the regular-season finale of Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) women's hoops action.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Over the first 16 minutes of play, the sides went back and forth trading leads nine times all the way to a 28-28 score with 4:29 remaining in the second quarter. EC sophomore Yannie Chan (Hong Kong, China) scored five straight points to give the Saints the lead for good, sparking a 14-4 run to close the quarter to help Emmanuel take a 42-32 lead into halftime.
• A 7-0 flurry to open the third extended the lead to 49-32 capped by a Matela three with 8:50 to play in the third, setting the tone for a strong stanza in which Emmanuel outscored the Raiders 27-16 in the frame to carry a comfortable 69-48 cushion into the final period.
• The visitors led by as many as 28 in the action (81-53), coasting to the 83-61 road win to mark their ninth straight to cap the regular-season.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• The double-double was Matela's second of the year while her 16 boards is a new career-high.
• Chan finished the day with 12 points and a game-high seven assists.
• The Saints got solid production from junior reserve Allison Wild (Tewksbury, Mass.) and first year Megan Reilly (Southbury, Conn.) as both finished in double-figures with 12 and 10, respectively.
• EC held Rivier leading scorer Lyric Grumblatt (Manchester, N.H.) to just 12 points on the day and a season-low three field goals made.
• RU first year forward Brianna Wilcox (Londonderry, N.H.) led all scorers with a game-high 16 points.
• Emmanuel improves to 33-0 all-time vs. the Raiders.
• The Saints move to 20-5 on the year marking the 27^th time Emmanuel has posted a 20-win season under Head Coach Andy Yosinoff, a new NCAA Division III record. Yosinoff surpasses Michael Strong (Scranton), Nancy Fahey (Washington-St. Louis) and Phillip Kahler (St. John Fisher) in the category as he previously shared the lead with the trio at 26 seasons of 20+ wins.
• Yosinoff enters the GNAC tournament needing just two wins to join the 900-win club. He would become the first NCAA Division III women's head coach to reach the milestone and just the 10^th women's coach across all three divisions to hit 900.
• The Saints have won nine straight and 15 of 16 heading into the 2023 GNAC Postseason.

UP NEXT

• With the win the Saints secured a share of the top spot in the GNAC North Division with St. Joseph's (ME), each owning an identical 20-5 overall record and 15-2 conference slate. Ultimately the Monks won the tie-breaker thanks to a coin-flip so Emmanuel heads into the GNAC postseason as the No. 2 seed in the GNAC North and will host the No. 3 seed from the GNAC South, University of Saint Joseph (CT) on Tuesday, Feb. 21 at 7:30 PM.
• The Raiders also qualified for GNAC tournament play with the No. 3 seed in the GNAC North. They'll head to the No. 2 seed from the GNAC South, Regis College, on Tuesday for a 7:30 PM tip.