BOSTON – Suffolk women's basketball put an exclamation point on its action before finals as the Rams handled Clark, 62-42, Saturday afternoon at Larry E. and Michael S. Smith Court. The triumph helped the blue-and-gold start the year 7-1 for the first time since going 7-1 over the condensed 2020-21 campaign.   

THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 62 | Clark 42
RECORDS: Suffolk (7-1) | Clark (6-4)  

HOW IT HAPPENED
Suffolk built an 11-2 lead in the first 3:19 thanks to upperclassmen Amanda DeAngelis and Madi Mahoney. DeAngelis worked buckets inside the arc, while Mahoney had finesse from 3-point range with back-to-back buckets from behind-the-arc.  

The playing feel evened out the rest of the first frame, but thanks to its early edge, Suffolk led 16-8 at the end of the first 10 minutes. 

Like the opening quarter, DeAngelis and Mahoney controlled Suffolk's scoring and helped the host take a 26-13 lead. The former supplied a hoop in the paint and a pair of freebies, while the latter knocked down two triples again. 

The Cougars put on a full court press in the hopes to stymie the Rams offensive output. The pressure did not allow the blue-and-gold to put together a run as the teams went hoop-for-hope to close out the half, which saw Suffolk up 37-22, at the intermission.  

Suffolk used a 14-2 scoring run in the first five minutes of the third to stretch its cushion to 51-24 at the midway point of the quarter. 

The Cougars compiled an 8-3 quarter-ending run to chip the deficit down to 22, 54-32, as the game headed to the fourth. 

The Rams kept the Cougars at a 20-point distance throughout the entire fourth stanza to lock up the x-x non-conference victory. 

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• DeAngelis finished with a 19-point, 12-rebound double-double. The senior shot 7-for-16 from the floor and notched five steals, one block and one assist as well. 
• Mahoney poured in 12 points, all in the first half and all off triples. She went 4-for-6 from downtown to go along with three steals and two rebounds. 
• Colby Guinta supplied 10 caroms, nine on the defensive end, eight points and two set-ups. 
• Lauren Romito had an all-around outing of six points, five caroms, four blocks, three helpers and one steal. 
• Suffolk shot just 34.3 percent (24-70) from the floor, 23.1 percent (6-23) from 3-point land and 69.2 percent (9-13) from the line. 
• The Rams won the battle on the glass 54-41.
• 28 of Suffolk's points game in the paint.  

NOTEWORTHY

• Suffolk is off to a 7-1 start for the first time since going 7-1 in the COVID-19 condensed season in 2020-21. 
• Suffolk improved to 4-3 all-time against Clark. 
• The win marks the Rams first over the Cougars since Dec. 10, 2022. 
• At home, Suffolk remains unbeaten, 3-0, versus Clark. 
• Mahoney made a career-high four treys and matched a personal-best three takeaways.
• DeAngelis put together her sixth double-double of the season, 22nd of her college career.
• Guinta grabbed a career-high 10 boards. 
• Akiyah Brown scored the first points of her collegiate career and tallied a career-high two steals. 
• Madison Michienzie matched a personal-best one rebound. 
• Ava Thurman recorded a career-high two steals. 
• Delaney More matched a personal-best two helpers and took away a career-high two steals. 

WHAT'S NEXT?
Suffolk will jet set to St. Pete, Florida, Dec. 29-30 for the Basketball Destinations St. Pete Classic at the MacArthur Center at Eckerd. The Rams open the action Friday versus Keene State at 1 p.m., before facing Wisconsin Stevens Point Saturday at 7 p.m.