Men's Basketball Charges Past Raiders, 96-86

PAXTON, Mass.—Senior Patrick Bradanese (Billerica, Mass.) was one assist shy of a triple-double as the Anna Maria College men's basketball team downed the Raiders of Rivier University in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action on Tuesday evening.

With the win, Anna Maria improves to 13-11 overall and 9-8 in league action, while Rivier falls to 4-20 overall and 4-13 in GNAC play.

AMCAT LEADERS

Bradanese tallied 27 points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists in the victory. He shot 7-for-15 from the floor with three three-pointers and added a 10-for-11 effort at the free-throw line. Seniors Tyler Delorey (Worcester, Mass.) and Pedro Trindade (Billerica, Mass.) also scored in double figures, clocking in with 16 and 13 points, respectively.

Twelve different members of the AMCAT roster scored to aid the AMCATS to victory.

RIVIER LEADERS

Anthony Simmons (Stamford, Conn.) led the Raiders with 24 points, shooting 6-for-8 from the floor with a 10-for-11 effort from the free-throw line. Isaiah Ruffen (Haverhill, Mass.) chipped in with a double-double of 16 points and 11 rebounds, followed by Kevin Francis (Cromwell, Conn.) and Victor Davila (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico) with 11 points apiece.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The first five minutes of the game saw three lead changes as both teams fought for control. Anna Maria struggled to hit shots in the first few minutes, but trailing 9-6, they recorded back-to-back front-court steals on Rivier inbounds plays and hit the ensuing layups to take a 10-9 lead. Delorey scored both layups in the quick segment, while Bradanese and Delorey were responsible for the steals.

Rivier would briefly regain the lead following a layup by David Lorden (Pepperell, Mass.), but Anna Maria took control for good seconds later on a layup by Trindade at the 15:20 mark. The AMCATS would use the remaining time to build a 23-point lead entering halftime.

A pair of free-throw shots by Bradanese at the 13:04 minute of the second half would give Anna Maria their largest lead of the game at 34 points, but the Raiders would claw back, holding the AMCATS to just two points over the next four-and-a-half minutes to erase 10 points from the deficit.

Rivier would cut the lead to 10 points at 88-78 on a jumper by Ruffen at the 1:43 mark. Anna Maria used the clock to their advantage, as Rivier was forced to foul for possession. The AMCATS would open up one final 14-point gap, but a pair of timely three-pointers by Davila and Cullen Donovan (Wethersfield, Conn.) at the 25- and 21-second marks sealed the score at 96-86.

FINAL COMPARISONS

Anna Maria shot at 48.6 percent from the floor (35-72) over the full 40 minutes while Rivier clocked in with a 37.9 percent effort (25-66). Rivier nailed an impressive 16 three-pointers on a 48.5 percent shooting effort, while Anna Maria hit 14 at 41.2 percent.

The AMCATS outscored Rivier 50-26 in the paint, 30-20 off turnovers, and 20-14 on the fast break. Anna Maria also saw a 16-10 advantage in second-chance points and a 32-19 lead in points off the bench.

Anna Maria outrebounded the Raiders 49-33, including an 18-10 edge in offensive boards.

WHAT'S NEXT

Anna Maria hosts the Monks of Saint Joseph's College of Maine on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. in the final regular season contest of the season. A brief senior day ceremony will be held before tip-off. Rivier is also in action on Saturday as they host Norwich at 1:00 p.m.