BOSTON – The Suffolk women's basketball team pulled itself out of an early deficit to defeat Norwich, 59-49, in GNAC play inside Regan Gymnasium Saturday afternoon.
Norwich (12-9, 4-4 GNAC) scored on its first three possessions to put Suffolk (12-9, 4-3 GNAC) in a 9-0 hole with 8:48 time on the clock. Roles reversed out of a Rams' timeout as the blue-and-gold scored three quick hoops to turn things around. A 9-0 stretch by Suffolk gave Suffolk a 15-11 edge, but the Cadets would be the last to put the ball in the hoop before the buzzer signaled the end of the first frame, but the Rams held the advantage, 15-13.
Similar to the first a 9-0 run opened things up, but this time it was Suffolk that rattled off nine unanswered points, its second 9-0 run of the game, to burst ahead, 24-15. Norwich climbed back and Shaynn Josler's third ball from long range made it a 26-23 game in favor of the Rams at halftime.
Despite the slow start, Suffolk shot 36.4 percent (12-33) from the field in the first half led by six points from Chelsea Campellone and Georgia Bourikas. The Rams used its rebounding on the offensive end for its comeback as 11 points were on put backs including two of Bourikas' hoops. Caitlyn Caramello led Suffolk's charge on the glass with six caroms.
Norwich put together a 24.3 percentage (9-37) from the field, but used a 4-of-11 performance from beyond-the-arc to hang in the game. Josler was the main contributor of the Cadets with nine points, four assists and two boards over the first 20 minutes.
A back-and-forth affair consumed the third quarter as Suffolk maintained a 41-32 lead at 3:12. The Cadets rallied with a 7-2 stretch and pulled within five at the end of the stanza, 44-39.
Marissa Gudauskas put in a layup to open the final frame before back-to-back buckets from Norwich made it a three point game with 7:30 on the clock. From there, Suffolk scored seven of the next nine points and used clutch free throw shooting from Caramello to secure the 59-49 victory.
Campellone finished the day with her 15TH double-figure showing of the season and sixth straight game with double digit points, as the senior registered 18 points to go along with seven rebounds, three blocks, one steal and one handout. Bourikas had a day of her own with the junior contributing 10 points, three boards, two handouts, two takeaways and one swat. Caramello's 10 caroms led Suffolk's 43-rebound effort and the sophomore forward chipped in seven points offensively. Alexandra Nagri and Kelsey Schiebel pitched in nine and eight points, respectively, with Schiebel dishing out four assists.
Suffolk finished the day shooting 39.3 percent from the field (24-51) and an impressive 88.9 percent (8-9) from the line. The Rams held the advantage in points in the paint, 34-24, points off turnovers, 17-12, fast breaks, 4-0, and called on its reserves for 17.
Norwich received 15 points from Heather LeBlacn and 13 from Josler. Arianna Harrison's game-high 15 boards led Norwich to outrebound Suffolk, 46-43.
Suffolk closes out its home slate next week. Rivier stops by Tuesday, Feb. 9 for a 7 p.m. contest, before Albertus Magnus comes to town Saturday, Feb. 13 for a 1 p.m. start.