Women’s Basketball Keeps Streak Alive, Defeats Framingham State, 90-87 in OT

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. – The Suffolk women's basketball team extended its win streak to five thanks to a thrilling 90-87 overtime victory at Framingham State Saturday afternoon.   

THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 90, Framingham State 87
RECORDS: Suffolk (7-2) | Framingham State (4-4) 

HOW IT HAPPENED
Suffolk found itself in an 8-0 whole before Jenni-Rose DiCecco put the SU Rams on the scoreboard with a basket behind the arc to jump start the blue-and-gold's comeback. Suffolk went on a 7-0 stretch, which included five points from DiCecco, grab a 14-13 lead. The score leveld at 14-all and FSU Rams went up again at 15-14, but Marissa Gudauskas knocked down a shot from downtown to put Suffolk ahead 17-15 at the end of the first frame. 

The blue-and-gold Rams commanded the second stanza, going up by as many as 13, 33-20, at the midway point. Framingham kept things interesting, however, as it made it a one-point contest, 36-35, with 1:24 to play before intermission. Suffolk kept the hosts quiet down the stretch, outscoring FSU, 8-0 to take a 44-35advatnage into half time. 

Georgia Bourikas took action into her own hands out of the break as the senior scored 17 of Suffolk's 23 third quarter points to keep the Rams ahead 67-60 after 30 minutes of action. 

A battle persisted in the fourth with Framingham clinging at a comeback, which did in fact come. The hosts outscored the visiting Rams 14-7 to equalize the game at 74-all with 2:52 on the clock in regulation. After a Suffolk timeout, FSU gained its first lead of the day, 76-74, since the first quarter. 

The score locked up at 76-76 thanks to a layup by Bourikas, but the Framingham Rams responded to remain ahead by two. Alexis Hackett chipped away at the deficit with one free throw. With overtime looming, down one, Bourikas turned the tides in the blue-and-gold's favor with her third triple of the day with 29 seconds to go. 

FSU continued to be persistent and Tiphani Harris' layup at the 23-second mark evened the score once again at 80-all. 

Out of a timeout, the Boston Rams had two chances to win it – a three from Bourikas and a jumper from DiCecco – but both shots were off the mark to force overtime. 

After two ties, Alexandra Nagri put away the go-ahead shot at the charity strip to make it an 86-85 Suffolk game with 1:07 on the clock. SU did not let up from there with DiCecco scoring a layup and Bourikas connecting on a pair at the foul line to secure the 90-85 win for Suffolk. 

STATISTISCALLY SPEAKING

• DiCecco's 29 points led the way as the freshman floor general shot 10-for-21 from the floor including a 7-for-14 performance from three-point range. To go along with her offensive output, DiCecco added five caroms, three assists and three steals.
• Bourikas was one-point shy of DiCecco's game-high with 28. She went 10-for-18 from the field and 3-for-8 from downtown. Bourikas also chipped in eight boards, five assists and one steals.
• Hackett paced Suffolk on the glass with 11 boards.
• Nagri and Jordan Hipwell each added nine points to Suffolk's attack.
• SU out rebounded by Framingham, 45-39.
• Suffolk shot 41.3 percent (31-75) from the floor, 35.1 percent (13-37) from three and used a 78.9 connection rate (15-19) from the foul line to pick up the win. 

NOTEWORTHY

• At 7-2, Suffolk has put together its best record through nine games since 2012-13.
• Suffolk and Framingham met for the 35th time Saturday afternoon with the SU Rams improving to 21-14 all-time against FSU.
• The Rams kept their wins streak intact, pushing it to five consecutive contests. The season-best winning stretch is the longest for Suffolk since the blue-and-gold rang eight wins together to open second semester of last season's 2016-17 schedule.
• Suffolk played in its first overtime game of the season and first extra session contest since Nov. 19, 2016 when the Rams fell to Wesleyan, 59-54.
• The overtime win marks the first time Suffolk grabbed a victory in extra sessions since Feb. 8, 2014 when SU needed two OTs to take down Johnson & Wales 61-57.
• DiCecco's career-high 29 points came off a career-best seven three's for the rookie.
• DiCecco produced her third 20-plus point game in her collegiate career. Overall, the freshman has scored double figures in seven of the Rams' nine games.
• Bourikas dropped her seventh double figures contest of the season and second straight 20-plus point game.
• Hackett has grabbed double figure rebounds in all, but two of Suffolk's nine games this season.
• For the eighth consecutive game, Ed Leyden used the straight combination of DiCecco, Nagri, Bourikas, Hackett and Hipwell. That starting line-up is now 7-1 on the season. 

POST-GAME PIC
 

WHAT'S NEXT?
Suffolk caps off first semester play Tuesday, Dec. 9 as the women's team entertains Emerson at 5 p.m. in the first contest of a Rams' basketball doubleheader with the men following in a battle with UMass Boston at 7 p.m.