FARMINGTON – The University of Maine at Farmington women’s basketball team rolled to an early lead, but Rivier College staged a second-half rally as the Raiders snatched a 74-65 win from the Beavers tonight at Dearborn Gymnasium.
The Beavers (2-2) are off until Dec. 6 when they are scheduled to travel to Bates College. The Raiders (4-2) are slated to host Gordon College on Dec. 4.
Rivier featured five players in double figures in the scoring column with Blair Carpenter (Meredith, NH) leading the charge with 17 points followed by Monica White (Augusta, ME) at 16 points, Justine Nims (Weare, NH) at 15 points, Jessica Mellen (Rockland, MA) at 14 points and Allie Parent (Camden, ME) at 10 points. Carpenter and Nims each connected on four 3-pointers.
Mellen completed a double-double with 15 rebounds as the visitors held a 55-38 command off the glass.
Ashley Busque (Belgrade, ME) and Erin Porter (Bangor, ME) each tallied 15 points for the Beavers with Amanda Byrne (Winslow, ME) adding 11 points and Caitlyn Laflin (Farmingdale, ME) posting a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds.
The Beavers blew past Rivier in the opening five minutes with a pair of Busque 3-pointers and a Laflin hoop-and-harm leading a 16-1 advantage for the hosts. The lead stayed at double-digits throughout the first frame before a Carpenter layup just before intermission cut the lead to 37-29.
An 11-0 spurt early in the second half helped the Raiders get back into the contest and a Parent basket to make 50-48 in favor of the visitors at 12:55 in the second half gave Rivier the lead for good. The Raiders closed out the win with stellar second-half shooting (14 of 31 from the field, 8 for 15 from beyond the arc) to complete the comeback for a 74-65 win.
