Loch Sheldrake, NY - The RVCC Women's Basketball team tipped off their season with a weekend Classic hosted by SUNY Sullivan this past Saturday and Sunday. 

In their first match up of the weekend the Lions played hosts to the Kats from Erie County Community College at 12 P.M. on Saturday, November 3rd. The Lions came out strong and finished the first quarter up 24-15. They never trailed at any point in the game and took a commanding 53-26 lead into halftime. Sophomore, Olivia Nilsen, picked up right where she left off last season finishing with a team high of 27 points. The sharp shooter from Bound Brook, NJ was 5-11 from deep and 11-20 overall. The only other Lion in double figures was Freshman Guard, Precious Allah, who finished her RVCC debut with 12 points on 5-11 shooting. Allah and Sophomore Guard, Adrienne Amey, each finished with a team high 6 assists. The scoring was very balanced for the Lions as 10 out of their 12 players scored at least one bucket. Freshman Guard, Ali McGrath, provided a great offensive spark off the bench with 7 points on the night. As well as the Lions played offensively, it was their defense that won them the game. Every starter had at least 1 steal on the night to help contribute to their team total of 16. Sophomore Forward, Moira Phillips, had 4 steals while Amey and Sophomore Guard, Lauren Armellino, each had a block. The Lions finished off the Kats by a final score of 79-63. 

The Lions returned the next day to take on the Sullivan Generals for a 3 P.M. tip off. The game got off to a great start for RVCC as they managed to take a 19-9 lead into the second quarter. However, the Lions struggled offensively after that point and were down 29-32 at halftime. The Lions kept the game close until the end of the fourth quarter when foul trouble and FT's eventually doomed them. Nilsen and Allah reached double figures again as they finished with 13 and 11 points respectively. Phillips had a great game on the glass for the Lions as she pulled down a season high 11 boards on the night. Freshman, Morenike Akinrefon, finished with 9 points to go along with 4 rebounds. McGrath, and fellow Freshman, Dyliany De Leon, were effective off the bench finishing with 7 and 5 points respectively. The Lions ended up falling to the host team 72-58 to drop to 1-1 on the season. 

RVCC will look to bounce back this Thursday as they host the Community College of Philadelphia for a 5 P.M. tip off.