WINTER PARK, Fla. – A sluggish start by the blue-and-gold proved to be the difference for the Suffolk men's basketball team against the winningest team in NCAA Division III history as the Rams fell to Wooster, 75-55, at the Steve Moore Sunshine Classic Tuesday afternoon at the Alfond Sports Center on the campus of Rollins College.   

THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 55 | Wooster 75
RECORDS: Suffolk (4-4) | Wooster (3-6) 

HOW IT HAPPENED
The lead flipped back-and-forth three times before scoring lulls forced Suffolk into a nine-point hole, 19-10, at the midway point of the first frame. 

The Rams fell down by as many as 11 before Nick Verdile sparked a 7-0 Suffolk stretch that brought the deficit down to four, 26-22, with 5:15 remaining before half time. 

Wooster closed out the opening 20 minutes with 11 unanswered points, however, to send the blue-and-gold into the locker room chasing 15, 37-11.  

Despite the Fighting Scots scoring the first bucket of the second stanza an going up by 17, Suffolk battled back. The Rams chipped the distance down to single digits on multiple occasions including a seven-point gap, 53-46, with 7:34 left on the clock.  

A 13-2 Wooster run put the game out of reach for the blue-and-gold however as it faced a 66-48 deficit at the 2:42 mark. 

Nick Verdile knocked down a triple with just under two minutes to play and a pair of possessions later the Rams' rookie connected on a jumper in the hoops to spark a Suffolk spurt. Time was not in its favor and the game ended in the Fighting Scots favor.  

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• Keenan Robertson finished with a game-high 17 points on a7-for-16 showing from the field. He was the only Ram to go to the free throw line and made all three of his free throw attempts. The junior added four boards, one steal and one assist to his stat line. 
• Verdile put together a 15-point performance off the bench. He shot 6-for-8 from the floor, which included a 3-for-5 showing from 3-point land, to go along with a team-high seven rebounds. 
• Jake Gomez and Evan Cook added eight points apiece. 
• Cole LeVangie pitched in seven points, four assists, three caroms, one swat and one takeaway. 
• Suffolk, who shot just 32.0 percent in the first half, finished the game with a 41.8 percent connection rate from the floor. 
• All three of the Rams free throws came in the first half. 
• Wooster converted Suffolk's 15 turnovers into 19 points. 
• More than half (30) of the Rams points came in the paint. 

NOTEWORTHY

• Suffolk and Wooster met for the first time. 
• Verdile pulled down a team-high seven rebounds.  

WHAT'S NEXT?
Suffolk will compete in the consolation contest tomorrow, Wednesday, Dec. 20 at 1 p.m. versus Bethany Lutheran.