BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – The Suffolk women's basketball team stumbled in the second half and could not hold onto an 11-point half time edge as Bridgewater State bounced back to force not one, but two overtime and displace the Rams, 68-58, Thursday night inside the Tinsley Center.
THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 58 | Bridgewater State 68
RECORDS: Suffolk (4-3) | Bridgewater State (1-4)
HOW IT HAPPENED
Suffolk led 14-8 after one quarter of play as Jenni-Rose DiCeccoand Jordan Hipwelltallied six points apiece in the opening period.
The blue-and-gold took a 29-18 lead into the break as the Rams outscored the Bears 15-10 in the second quarter. Suffolk shot 46 percent (11-24) from the floor over the first 20 minutes and knocked down three of its five triple attempts. Bridgewater, meanwhile, struggled from the field, shooting just 26 percent (8-31) from the field.
Bridgewater burst out of the locker room and put together a 7-0 stretch with seven minutes remaining in the third frame to climb back into the game. Suffolk held its composure and clutched onto the lead, 39-35, as the game headed into the final quarter of regulation.
BSU quickly evened the playing field at 39-all with back-to-back buckets.
See-saw action was persistence the remainder of the way and the Rams found themselves down 46-44. Gabriella DeComo converted a layup to tie the game up and had the chance to give Suffolk the lead as the sophomore was sent to the line, but she missed the opportunity.
The Rams made up for it with a defensive stop on the other end of the hardwood and DiCecco reclaimed the advantage for the blue-and-gold with a driving layup with 1:33 left on the clock. DiCecco then made a block that could have pushed Suffolk's cushion to two possessions, but a crucial turnover with just 24.7 seconds left to play gave BSU a prime opportunity.
Sara DaSilva then sent the game to overtime with a baseline driving layup with 10.5 seconds remaining.
DeComo and DiCecco mirrored baseline jumpers to open up the extra session and push Suffolk ahead 52-48. The Bears flipped the switch in their favor, 53-52, after scoring five unanswered points.
Suffolk reclaimed the lead behind a Jordan Hipwell layup and later in the session Alexis Hackett went 1-for-2 at the line to give the Rams a two-point cushion, 55-53, with just under one-minute remaining.
BSU locked the score on its next possession and the Rams had a chance to go ahead as Hackett was sent to the line with 27.5 seconds left on the board. Hackett did not capitalize on the opportunity, however, missing the pair and the Bears triple with time winding down was off the mark.
The team's traded hoops in the extra sessions and then it was all Bridgewater from there as the hosts limited the Rams to just one free throw the rest of the way to secure the 68-58 victory.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- DiCecco led the way with 20 points on an 8-for-13 effort from the floor. The sophomore was one rebound shy of a double-double mark with nine rebounds to go with three steals, one handout and one block.
- Hipwell finished the night with a double-double effort of 14 points and 11 caroms. The sophomore shot 50 percent all over on the day, going 6-for-12 from the floor, 1-for-2 behind-the-arc and 1-for-2 at the charity stripe.
- DeComo put together a 13-point, five-rebound, two-assist outing.
- Hackett helped on the glass with nine rebounds and chipped in three helpers, three points, two steals and half of Suffolk's four blocks.
NOTEWORTHY
- Suffolk played in its first overtime game of the season and first since taking down Framingham State, 90-87, in an extra session Dec. 8, 2017.
- The Rams needed two overtimes to decide a winner for the first time since Feb. 8, 2014 when Suffolk downed Johnson & Wales 61-57.
- DiCecco reached 20-plus points for the third straight game and fourth time this season as the sophomore has produced double figures in all seven of Suffolk's games this season.
- Hipwell notched her first double-double of the year and third of her career.
POST-GAME PIC
COMING UP
Suffolk will lift the lid on its conference calendar Saturday, Dec. 1 when it visits Saint Joseph (Conn.) for a 3:30 p.m. matchup.