THE BASICS 
Lesley University, 87 vs. Rivier University, 91

Records: 
Lesley University Lynx (2-4, 0-0 NAC)
Rivier University Raiders (4-1, 0-0 GNAC) 

Location: Lexington, Mass. - Minuteman Gymnasium

Date: Thursday, November 24, 2024

THE LEAD— In a game that saw five lead changes and combined for 178 points, the Lesley University men's basketball team fell short to the Rivier University Raiders, 91-87, Thursday evening. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Both sides exchanged baskets early in the first, and after a Kyler Bosse jumper made it 14-12 Rivier, Lesley grabbed their largest lead of the night thanks to a 7-0 run that made it 19-14 with 11:07 left in the first. CJ Leonard (Raynham, Mass.) spearheaded the run for the Lynx with four points.
• Later in the half, the Raiders recaptured the lead courtesy of a 10-2 spurt before Lesley would call a timeout, trailing 24-21 with 6:52 left in the first. During the scoring run for the Raiders, both Matt Constant and Bosse each knocked down three-point shots.
• Coming out of the timeout, Rivier increased its lead to eight (38-30) after a Joey Merrill jumper, but the Lynx continued to hang around and found themselves down three (41-38) going into half after an 8-2 scoring burst closed out the first. Tavon Rhodes (Dorchester, Mass.) highlighted the run with six points on two made threes. 
• The Raiders started strong in the second half, scoring the first six points for a 47-38 advantage before Lesley took a timeout. Despite the timeout, Rivier's offense did not cool down as the visitors earned their largest lead (58-45) thanks to a Ra'Quan Roves layup on the fast break. 
• Even with a large deficit, Lesley continued to linger and brought things back to single digits (58-51) thanks to a Leonard free throw at 11:24, which would lead to a Rivier timeout shortly later at 11:05. Coming out of the break, Rivier still was able to maintain breathing room after a Bosse free throw made it 66-59 but Lesley cut into the Raiders lead and was down three (66-63) after back-to-back buckets from Rhodes with 8:13 left to play. 
• Rivier, though, pushed its lead back up to 11 (78-67) behind a 12-4 run, highlighted by four points from Groves on back-to-back layups. Down 80-69 with 4:52 left in the contest, the Lynx would not go away as the squad was down one (82-81) thanks to a 12-2 burst of offense, leading to a Raiders timeout with 2:29 remaining. Tarell Joseph (Hempstead, N.Y.) was a key factor during Lesley's rally, thanks to his six points, which included a three and a crucial and-one conversion.
• Both sides traded baskets toward the end, and after Leonard made a putback layup to keep the deficit at two (86-84) with 1:15 left, Rivier ultimately pulled away, scoring the next five points for the 91-87 win. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS  

• Rhodes led Lesley with a career-high 31 points on 12-23, including 4-8 beyond the arc. He is the first first-year to score 30 plus points in a game since 2021 (Gabe McRay-35 points, Nov. 6, 2021, at UMaine Presque Isle). He also tied his season-high in rebounds with eight.
• The Lynx had three other scorers reach double-figures, including Leonard with 15, Joseph with 14, and Malachi Howard (Winter Haven, Fla.) also with 14. 
• For the visitors, Bosse led all scorers with 33 points on 13-19 shooting while also going 3-4 from three. The Raiders' other two double-digit scorers were Constat with 22 and Groves with 17.
• Odarius Cade facilitated the Raiders offense all night as the senior guard dished out nine assists. 
• Lesley held a slight advantage in shooting percentage by shooting 50.7 percent (35-69) from the field compared to Rivier's 44.7 percent (34-76 shooting).
• Rivier capitalized on its three's Thursday by going 8-19 (42.1 percent), whereas Lesley shot 7-24 (29.2 percent). 

UP NEXT

• Lesley kicks off an eight-game road trip with a nonconference matchup at Framingham State on Saturday, November 23, at noon.