BOSTON – Behind the trio of Amanda DeAngelis, Katie Kirsch and Maddie Stewart, Suffolk women's basketball defeated Commonwealth Coast Conference counterpart Nichols, 72-63, Thursday night at Larry E. and Michael S. Smith Court.
THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 72 | Nichols 63
RECORDS: Suffolk (7-4, 3-2 CCC) | Nichols (2-8, 1-4 CCC)
HOW IT HAPPENED
Nichols built a 13-4 lead 2:37 into the action. A DeAngelis layup followed by a traditional 3-point play from Stewart sliced the gap down to four, but not for long as the Bison rebuilt a nine-point advantage, 18-9 with 4:09 left in the opening quarter.
DeAngelis converted an old-school 3-point play to spark a 12-2 Suffolk run that pushed the host ahead, 21-10. That stretch saw the junior pour in 10 points.
The Bison closed out the first frame with seven consecutive points to put the Rams in a 27-21 hole after the first 10 minutes.
The six-point edge remained in Nichols favor, 37-31, with 4:04 to go before halftime. Out of a blue-and-gold timeout, Suffolk's offense logged eight unanswered to reclaim the lead, 39-37, with 37 seconds remaining in the second stanza. Over that run, Stewart and Madi Mahoney each scored three.
Kiera Fernandes swished her third trey of the night 23 seconds later to send Nichols in front, 40-39, as the teams headed to the locker room.
Although Nichols netted the first points of the third quarter, Suffolk controlled the tempo from there with 10 points in a row to lead 49-42 3:46 into the third quarter.
A game of runs ensued as the Bison battled back to within a bucket before the Rams responded with seven straight points to restore the multi-possession game, 56-47, with 1:50 left in the third.
It was Nichols that ended the quarter on a spurt, however, as the visitors registered the final four points of the frame to close the distance to 56-51 as the game transitioned to the fourth.
See-saw action consumed the final frame, which allowed the blue-and-gold to cling to the upper hand, 66-58, as Nichols used a full timeout at the 3:40 mark.
Free throw shooting fineness from the Bison kept Ram Nation on the edge of its seats as a 68-61 game stood with 1:15 to go in regulation.
Suffolk managed to break Nichols' full-court pressure and worked the clock down just in time for Kendall Jacques to seal the conference victory at the charity stripe.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
- DeAngelis put together a 29-point, 12-rebound double-double with two steals, one helper and one block.
- Stewart was a force on the glass with 21 caroms, 16 on the defensive end. She added eight points, seven set-ups and two takeaways.
- Kirsch compiled a 10-point, seven-rebound, three-block, two-steal night.
- Madi Mahoney complimented the threesome of DeAngelis, Stewart and Kirsch with nine points, four boards and one dime.
- Suffolk shot 42.0 percent on the night even with missing the dozen triples it attempted.
- The Rams 85.7 conversion rate the foul line kept the blue-and-gold in the game.
- Suffolk scored 66.7 percent of its offense in the paint, while Nichols converted the Rams 31 turnovers into 28 points.
- Nichols had three players in double figures in Fernandes (17), Leandra Ortiz (13) and Abrianna Vazquez (12).
NOTEWORTHY
- Suffolk defeated Nichols for the third straight meeting to level the all-time series at 12-12.
- The Rams are 7-1 against the Bison under Ed Leyden's leadership.
- At home, Suffolk is 8-4 versus the Bison.
- DeAngelis recorded her third consecutive double-double, sixth of the season and 10th of her collegiate career.
- DeAngelis tied a career-high in points (29) and set a new personal-best in free throws made (9).
- Kirsch matched a personal-best three swats.
- Stewart's 21 rebounds are a career-high for the sophomore. She also set a personal-best in assists with seven helpers.
- Kendall Jacques notched a career-high in rebounds (5) and assists (2).
POST-GAME PIC
WHAT'S NEXT?
Suffolk is set to clash with Curry Saturday, Jan. 7 when the Colonels stop by Smith Court for a 1 p.m. game.