BOSTON, Mass. -- Meghan Black '12 (Roslindale, Mass.) hit a jump shot with 1:04 remaining to give Suffolk a 66-65 lead and Emerson was unable to answer as the Rams took a 67-65 Great Northeast Athletic Conference victory at Emerson's Brown & Plofker Gym. The loss drops Emerson out of a first place tie in the Conference.
The game was close throughout as there were eight ties and 10 lead changes. Emerson opened a 17-10 lead at the 14:43 mark of the first half on a three-point shot by Andrea Kosek '10 (Latham, N.Y.). The Rams responded with a 12-0 run. A Kosek free throw temporarily slowed the Rams, but Emily Forzano drilled a three point shot to give Suffolk a 25-18 lead.
Emerson's Kathy Andrade '11 (Hull, Mass.) then took matters into her own hands scoring ten consecutive points for the Lions. Suffolk's only answer during the run was a layup by Jacqueline Vienneau '13 (Salem, N.H.) to earn Emerson a 30-27 advantage. Andrade's last bucket of the string came at the 4:04 mark in the first half and the Lions did not score for the remainder of the period while Lindsey Rogers '13 (Gloucester, Mass.) hit two free throws, Vienneau nailed a jumper, and Rogers scored a layup off an assist by Vienneau at the buzzer to give Suffolk a 33-30 halftime advantage.
Rogers opened the second half as she closed the first to make the lead five points, but Emerson's Olivia DiNucci '13 (Pittsburgh, Pa.) drilled a three to cut the margin to 35-33. A 10-4 run by Emerson gave the Lions a 43-39 advantage. A Rogers jump shot and a Black layup tied the game.
Emerson regained the lead on a free throw by Andrade, but Suffolk re-took the lead with a Vienneau layup. Kosek answered with a trifecta. DiNucci then sandwiched two threes around a Thompson jumper for a 53-47 Lion advantage. A Rogers free throw shrunk the margin to five, but two buckets by Lauren Zaniboni '11 (San Diego, Calif.) gave Emerson a 57-48 edge.
Suffolk responded with seven straight points on a jumper by Mary Garon '12 (Auburn, N.H.), a traditional three-point play by Vienneau and a Rogers jump shot. Andrade then hit two free throws to increase the Emerson lead to 59-55. An Andrade put-back moved the advantage to six points.
Laura Thompson '10 (Kennebunk, Maine) started the latest Ram come back with a jumper in the paint at the 5:05 mark. Andorra Salacies '12 (Franklin, Mass.) drilled a three 1:12 later to pull the Rams to within 61-60. Following an Emerson turnover Vienneau scored on a layup for a 62-61 Suffolk lead. Andrade came back with a traditional three-point play for a two-point Emerson edge with 2:40 remaining.
Two Thompson free throws tied the game at 64 with 1:48 left. Jackie Williams '13 (Lorton, Va.) hit the front end of a two shot foul for Emerson's last lead of the day with 1:40 left setting the stage for Black's eventual game winner. Vienneau added a free throw with 12 seconds left to forge the final 67-65 score.
Andrade led all scorers in the game with 22 points. Zaniboni had a double-double for the Lions with 12 points and 11 boards. DiNucci added 11. Suffolk was paced by Rogers with 17 points. Thompson and Vienneau each added 14.
Emerson will host St. Joseph's College on Tuesday afternoon for a 5:30 tip. Suffolk hosts Norwich that same evening at 7:00pm. Both games are GNAC contests
(Story courtesy of Emerson College Sports Information)