Women’s Basketball’s GNAC Title Hunt Begins at Norwich Tuesday

BOSTON – The Suffolk women's basketball team begins its quest for its first-ever GNAC Championship Tuesday, Feb. 21 when the South's third seed treks to the North's second seed Norwich for a quarterfinals showdown. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at Andrews Hall. 

SOCIALIZE
Stay up-to-date with all the latest news and notes on Suffolk Athletics by connecting with the Rams on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Be sure to use the hashtag #RamNation for an insider's look at Suffolk's teams and student-athletes.

2017 GNAC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT

Quarterfinals - Tuesday, Feb. 21
Game 1: #4S Albertus Magnus at #1N St. Joseph's (Maine) – 6:00 p.m.
Game 2: #3N Rivier at #2S Johnson & Wales – 5:30 p.m.
Game 3: #3S Suffolk at #2N Norwich – 7:00 p.m.
Game 4: #4N Simmons at #1S Emmanuel – 7:00 p.m.

Semifinals – Thursday, Feb. 23
Game 5: Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner
Game 6: Game 3 Winner vs. Game 4 Winner

Championship – Saturday, Feb. 25
Game 7: Game 5 Winner vs. Game 6 Winner

LAST TIME OUT
After a back-and-forth first quarter, Emmanuel took over and the Suffolk women's basketball team could not find its rhythm as the Rams fell, 79-53, Saturday afternoon inside Regan Gymnasium.      

MORE READING: Emmanuel Stuns Women's Basketball on Senior Day

POST-SEASON PUSH
Suffolk makes its 22nd straight appearance in the GNAC Tournament all of which came under the guidance of Ed Leyden. The Rams, who are the South's third seed, will meet North's second seed Norwich in the quarterfinals for the second straight season and third time overall. A year ago, Alexandra Nagri poured in a season-high 19 points to lead Suffolk past the Cadets, 55-51, for the first time in the first round of the tournament. Overall, Suffolk and Norwich have taken the court in the post season six times with Norwich holding a 4-2 edge over the Rams. 

RUNDOWN ON THE RAMS
Suffolk concluded conference competition with the most victories (12-4) against league play since joining the GNAC ranks in 1995 and is 17-8 overall. 

The Rams head to the tournament with the fifth highest offensive output in the leagues with 66.0 ppg, shooting the third best percentage (38.5) from the floor, the best connection rate from three-point land (34.3) and making consistent trips at the free throw line (67.0). Suffolk's offense is well balanced with no single player ranking in the conference's top contingent. Seniors Kelsey Schiebel and Georgia Bourikas pace the pack with 10.8 ppg and 10.2 ppg, respectively. Caitlyn Caramello (8.4 ppg), Alexis Hackett (8.3 ppg) and Alexandra Nagri (7.4 ppg) all contribute to the offensive. 

Suffolk sits atop the league on the glass with 46.7 rpg including 32.0 defensive rebounds per outing. The Rams limit their opponents to 57.5 ppg. Individually, Katelyn Rourke leads the way on the glass with 7.4 rpg and chips in 1.0 bpg. Caramello provides 7.1 ppg with Alexandra Clarke's 6.4 rpg and 1.3 bpg adding to the defensive performance.  

CATCH UP ON THE CADETS
Norwich sealed up the second spot in the North standings with a 58-49 victory at Lasell to conclude the regular season 15-10 overall and 9-7 versus league foes.

WE MEET AGAIN
The Suffolk women's basketball team overcame a 15-point deficit and gained momentum at just the right time to secure a 68-63 victory over Norwich at Andrews Hall Jan. 16.    

MORE READING: Second Stanza Sends Women's Basketball to Sixth Straight at Norwich

INSIDE THE SERIES
Suffolk commands the all-time series versus Norwich, 20-8, and has picked up eight straight wins over the Cadets.  

EYES ON THE GAME
  

THE ELITE OF THE ELITE
Tuesday night Kelsey Schiebel became just the fourth Ram in Suffolk women's basketball history to not only play in, but start 100 games, joining the ranks of Illiana Quadri '15 (112 GP/1110 GS), Jacqueline Vienneau '13 (110 GP/108 GS) and Katie Librandi '02 (105 GP/103 GS).  

JOINING THE ELITE
Thursday night Kelsey Schiebel joined an elite group of Rams with her 100th career appearance in blue-and-gold. Schiebel is now one of 16 Suffolk women's basketball players to take the hardwood in 100 games.  

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Since November 28 the GNAC Corvias Rookie of the Week has donned Suffolk blue-and-gold with Alexis Hackett earning six honors, including four straight from Dec. 12 - Jan. 16, and Katelyn Rourke picking up the nod four times. 

BEST ROOK IN NEW ENGLAND
After collecting her fifth GNAC Corvias Rookie of the Week nod this season, Suffolk women's basketball's Alexis Hackett earned another recognition as the NEWBA named her Rookie of the Week, the association announced Monday afternoon.   

MORE READING: NEWBA Recognizes Hackett as Rookie of the Week, Again