Odarius Cade and the Rivier men's basketball team is at Salem State tonight, hoping to bounce back from a loss to Fisher College on Tuesday. (Courtesy photo by Nick Grace/Rivier Athletics)

BROOKLINE, Mass. – The Rivier men’s basketball team hopes to bounce back tonight after it dropped a close non-conference contest to Fisher on Tuesday evening at Pappas Gymnasium, 85-81.

The Raiders aim to recover as they head to Salem State tonight at the Twohig Gymnasium. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m.

With Tuesday’s result, the Raiders dropped to 6-2 while the Falcons improved to 3-4.

Rivier faced a 21-11 deficit with 10:53 left in the first half but ignited a 10-0 run, fueled by baskets from four different Raiders, to tie the game at 21-21. Senior Odarius Cade then scored six consecutive points to give Rivier its first lead of the night at 27-25 with 4:39 remaining, forcing a Falcons timeout. After the break, Rivier surged ahead with a 14-0 run that was capped with a driving layup from junior Ra’Quan Groves to take a commanding 41-25 lead with just over a minute to play. Fisher responded with a 6-0 run to close the half, narrowing Rivier’s lead to 41-31.

The Falcons opened the second half with a 16-7 run, cutting the deficit to just one. First-year Steph Barnes halted their momentum with a jump shot, pushing the Raiders ahead 50-47 at the 14:14 mark. Rivier fought back with an 11-3 run, powered by six points from graduate Kyler Bosse, to extend their lead to 61-50 midway through the half. After a pair of free throws by graduate Joey Merrill, the Raiders held a 12-point lead with 6:19 remaining before Fisher embarked on a 14-2 run, tying the game at 74-74. The two teams traded baskets, to knot the game at 79-79 with 1:54 left. Fisher then took their first lead of the second half at 81-79 on a layup. The Raiders went 1-for-2 at the line, but Fisher added another basket to extend their lead to 83-80 with 30 seconds remaining. Merrill was fouled with five seconds left, making the first free throw and intentionally missing the second, but the Raiders were unable to secure the rebound. Fisher sealed the game with free throws, claiming an 85-81 victory.

Bosse led the Raiders, recording his first double-double of the season with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Cade contributed 19 points on 8-of-14 shooting to go along with three assists. Merrill filled the stat sheet, tallying 16 points, eight rebounds, and five assists. Junior Matt Constant added nine points and four rebounds, while Groves and Barnes rounded out the scoring with eight and six points, respectively.