DUDLEY, Mass. – Suffolk women's basketball trailed early on and could not catch up as Nichols maintained a lead to take a 69-59 decision over the Rams Saturday afternoon at the Nichols Athletic Center. 

THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 59 | Nichols 69
RECORDS: Suffolk (1-1) | Nichols (1-1)  

HOW IT HAPPENED
Less than 24 hours after lifting the lid on the 2020-21 condensed season, Suffolk could not get its feet under it and Nichols took advantage, outscoring the Rams, 20-9 in the first 10 minutes.  

Suffolk sliced the deficit to single-digits a 5-2 run in the first minute out of the break, but the Bison buried four consecutive three-pointers to make things lopsided in their favor, 34-17 with 6:58 to play before the half. 

The game of runs continued as the Rams put together nine unanswered points of their own. The baskets were too spaced out to make a real impact, eating up too much time from the clock to send the blue-and-gold into halftime down 13, 39-26.  

To open the third stanza, the teams went hoop-for-hoop. Jenni-Rose DiCecco took matters into her own hands with just under four minutes remaining in the third quarter. The floor general supplied back-to-back buckets, one inside the arc and one behind it, to try and get a Rams' rally going. Suffolk's scoring frenzy never came and Nichols remained in front, 52-40, at the end of 30 minutes.  

With time winding down the blue-and-gold looked to make a move early on in the fourth frame and it did. Two quick hoops from Gabriella DeComo and DiCecco made it an eight-point distance with 7:58 left on the clock.  

Nichols responded with an 8-0 stretch to regain a double-digit lead at the half-way point, one it would not relinquish the rest of the way.  

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• DeComo's 15 points led Suffolk's offensive output that saw three Rams in double figures. The senior shot 6-for-15 from the floor, grabbed eight boards and had three takeaways 
• DiCecco had an all-around performance with 13 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and one steal. 
• Emily Welling was one rebound shy of a double-double with a 10-point, nine-carom performance that went along with four blocks and one dime. 
• Allie Lopes supplied nine boards, three points and one steal. 
• Amanda DeAngelis and Sydney Richard chipped in six points apiece. 
• Suffolk had an off-shooting day, going just 31.0 percent (22-71) from the field, and 20.0 percent (5-25) from three-point range. 
  The Rams won the battle on the glass though, 52-47.  

NOTEWORTHY

• Welling matched a personal-best four swats. 
• Lopes matched a career-high four rebounds.  

POST-GAME PIC
  

SUFFOLK'S SCHEDULE
Suffolk Athletics will continue to release its winter sports schedule on a week-by-week basis. Fans are encouraged to check GoSuffolkRams.com every week on Tuesday afternoons when the next batch of games will be unveiled.