New Haven, Conn. – The Albertus Magnus College women's basketball team netted its fourth straight victory with an 89-77 triumph against visiting Rivier on Monday afternoon in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action at The Nest inside the Cosgrove Marcus Messer Athletic Center.
The Falcons improved to 10-6 overall and 3-2 in league play with the double-digit win, while the Raiders suffered their first GNAC setback of the winter to move to 7-7 on the year and 3-1 in conference tilts.
Sophomore Olivia Bolden (South Windsor, Conn.) had a career day for the Falcons, pouring in 31 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. The 5-10 forward was a force in the paint all day and got to the free-throw line 16 times, making 11 of them. On the opposite side, junior guard Caitlyn Perry caused havoc for the Falcon defense, scoring a game-high 34 points on 14-of-29 shooting.
Albertus Magnus opened the game on a 10-0 run over the first four minutes of action capped by a jumper from senior forward Kelsey Pendagast (Shelton, Conn.). During the next three minutes of play, the guests used an 8-2 run to pull within four points. The Falcons ended the frame with six points from the foul line to hold an 18-11 lead after one.
In the second quarter, Bolden paced the AMC attack with 10 points and the team knocked down over 42 percent of their shots from the field to take a 38-26 edge into the break. The Falcons took advantage of six Raider fouls in the frame and hit 7-of-10 from the charity stripe to balloon their advantage to double digits.
The hosts led throughout the contest, building their lead to as many as 18 early in the fourth following an old-fashioned three-point play from senior forward Kelsey Pendagast (Shelton, Conn.) off an offensive rebound. Down the stretch, Rivier cut the lead to eight with just over two minutes remaining, but on the following possession Albertus Magnus put the game out of reach courtesy of a trey from junior guard Liz Falcigno (Wallingford, Conn.).
The double-double was Bolden's third in a row and sixth of the winter. Falcigno and Pendagast both netted 21 points for AMC, while freshman guard Deja Ward (Middletown, Conn.) added nine off the bench. Falcigno connected on all three of her shots from beyond the arc and went 12-of-14 from the charity stripe to top the 20-point plateau for the fourth time this year. Pendagast hit 8-of-14shots from the field and added nine rebounds, two assists and one block.
Perry was the playmaker for the guests all afternoon, hitting 14 shots and all five of her attempts from the free-throw line. Freshman guard Kaylee Kacavas and junior forward Savanna Butterfield were the other Raiders in double figures, scoring 14 and 13, respectively.
The Falcons took a season-high 45 free throws in the game and won the battle of the boards, 49-33.
Albertus Magnus returns to action on Saturday, January 23, with a road conference clash against Norwich at 1:00 pm. The Falcons take their winning streak to the Green Mountain State looking to end a two-game skid versus the Cadets.
For the latest information on the women's basketball team and Albertus Magnus athletics, follow AMCAthletics on Twitter and visit AlbertusFalcons.com.
