PLYMOUTH, N.H.- The Plymouth State girls basketball team suffered a 78-71 lost at the hands of Rivier University in the first game of the Boys and Girls Club Classic, hosted by NHTI.
Despite heading into halftime with a 40-28 lead, the lady Raiders would come out even stronger in the second half, scoring 19 unanswered points early in the frame. Rivier was lead by freshman Deanna Purcell, who scored 11 of her game-high 24 points during the Rivier Rally. The streak put the Raiders up 59-31 with 12:36 remaining.
PSU refused to give up, catching fire and rattling off a 17-1 streak of their own. The rally, which started with 7:25 remaining, included 10 unanswered points. The Panthers had more work to do, as the streak only brought them within 13 points. The girls would bring the deficit down to single digits in the final minute, but would run out of time.
Purcell was not the only one who scored double figures for the Raiders, A.j Guidi chipped in 16 points, and sophomore Britney Lane contributed 10 points.
The Panthers had an equally balanced attack, with four players scoring in double figures. Krystin Corliss continued her strong season, finishing with a team-leading 20 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists. Freshman Bry Bennett scored 16 points on 8-of-9 shooting, while Katie Seraikas and Meghan Faretra chipped in with 12 and 11 points, respectively.
Plymouth, who fell to 1-3 on the season, will travel to Salem State University on Thursday for a non-conference tilt, while Rivier will return home to play host to Fitchburg State University on Thursday.