Balanced attack leads Panthers to third straight win 

            PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Sophomore Dante Rivera (Methuen, Mass.) led a balanced offensive attack as Plymouth State University cruised to a 94-63 win over Rivier University in a non-conference men's basketball game at Foley Gymnasium on Tuesday night.

            Rivera tallied a game-high 18 points to lead four Panthers in double figures as 14 different players scored. Junior Devin Cooper (Newfield, N.Y.) scored 14 points on 7-of-10 shooting, while sophomores Manny Sanchez (Lawrence, Mass.) and Manny Alisandro (Manchester, N.H.) added 13 and 10, respectively.

            Plymouth State picks up its third straight win to improve to 3-1, while Rivier drops to 2-3.

            The Basics:

            Plymouth State 94, Rivier 63

            Plymouth State (3-1)

            Rivier (2-3)

            How it Happened.

• Plymouth State got out to an early 10-2 lead with four points apiece from Rivera and Cooper.
• Senior Jaylen LeRoy (Manchester, N.H.) nailed a three-pointer and his steal led to a fast break layup for junior Gerald Fleming (Tampa, Fla.) as PSU extended the lead to 19-5.
• Rivier made a push to cut the margin to eight, but the Panthers quickly responded with a 22-6 run to seize control. Included in the spurt was a highlight-reel finish by Sanchez and a breakaway dunk from Alisandro and PSU went into the break with a 51-28 advantage.
• Plymouth State maintained a sizeable lead throughout the second half, pushing the margin as high as 38, as Plymouth State's reserves got ample playing time.

            Inside the Numbers:

• Sanchez finished 6-of-8 from the floor, while Alisandro went 5-of-7 and added nine boards.
• LeRoy tallied nine points, two rebounds, two assists and two steals.
• Junior Jack McCarthy (Cross River, N.Y.) led Rivier with 11 points off the bench, with senior Issaiah Chappell (Sunapee, N.Y.) adding 10.
• Plymouth State shot 52.6% from the floor (40-of-76), owned a 46-32 edge on the glass and scored 62 points in the paint.
• PSU improves to 18-1 all-time against the Raiders and 6-0 inside Foley Gymnasium.

            Straight From the Coach's Mouth:

            "The best part is we were able to play everybody," said head coach Andrew Novick. "You get a chance to reward all those guys that     spend a lot of time practicing, so to be able to see them get out there and play well was a nice treat to see as a coach. Our execution is getting better. Our defensive intensity is getting better. We're making better decisions with the ball. That all comes with time and this was another step and we'll face another challenge on Saturday."

            Up Next:

• PSU visits Elms College on Saturday (Nov. 23) for a 4:00 p.m. non-conference clash.

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