CHESTNUT HILL, MA - After a Tia Nelson three-pointer put the Gators ahead to open the game, a 26-0 Suffolk run put any questions to rest, as the Rams throttled Pine Manor, 79-27, Tuesday night in Great Northeast Athletic Conference women's basketball action.
The Rams (5-6, 1-1 GNAC) Laura Thompson shot 5-5 from the floor in the first half for 12 points, and fellow forward Jacqueline Vienneau also added all of her 11 before halftime, as the Rams opened up a 44-9 lead at intermission. Thompson (Kennebunk, ME/Kennebunk) scored six of her 12 first half points during the run, and Vienneau (Salem, NH/Central Catholic) added seven during the streak, which spanned 9:33. A Gina Simpson-Hobbs free throw snapped the Gators drought at the 8:33 mark.
Pine Manor (0-9, 0-2 GNAC) turned the ball over 20 times before halftime, as the Rams stifling defense held the Gators to just 13 percent shooting in the first. Suffolk, meanwhile, turned the ball over nine times in the first half, shooting 47 percent for both the opening stanza and the entire game. The Rams turned the ball over a modest 16 times in all, holding Pine Manor to 18.5 percent shooting on the night.
The Rams also dominated the battle of the boards outrebounding the Gators 57-34. In spite of her team's disadvantage on the glass, Pine Manor's Paulette Wright (Baltimore, MD/Seton Keough) led all players with 10 caroms.
Thompson's 12 points were tied with teammate Kristina Hayner's dozen for game-high honors. Hayner (Bedford, NH/Bishop Guertin) added five rebounds in her 16 minutes off the bench, and guard Mary Garon (Auburn, NH/Trinity) added 10 points and a team-best eight boards.
Pine Manor's leading scorer at 13 points per game entering Tuesday, Wright was held to only two points on 1-8 shooting. Guard Enjolee Phillips (Hartford, CT/Weaver) led the Gators with eight points and three steals, while Simpson-Hobbs (South Boston, MA/English) added seven. Nelson (Rockport, MA/Rockport) connected on a pair of three-point field goals for her six points.
Pine Manor continues its three-game homestand on Thursday, playing host to Wheelock in non-conference action at 7 p.m. Suffolk, meanwhile, travels to WIT in non-league play Thursday night at 6.
(story courtesy of Pine Manor Sports Information)