Western New England Clips Women’s Basketball in CCC Opener, 62-52

BOSTON – A sluggish second half, paired with foul trouble, caused Suffolk women's basketball to stumble to western New England, 62-52, in its Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) opener, Wednesday night at Larry E. and Michael S. Smith Court. 

THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 52 | Western New England 62
RECORDS: Suffolk (4-2, 0-1 CCC) | Western New England (2-5, 1-0 CCC)  

HOW IT HAPPENED
Suffolk's early 7-4 edge faded as Western New England put in the next four points to flip the script, 8-7.

A game of runs ensued. First, the Rams put together eight unanswered points to grab a 15-8 advantage, which forced the Golden Bears to use a timeout with 3:05 remaining in the opening quarter.  

Out of the huddle, WNE put together an 8-0 stretch of its own to put the host in a 16-15 at the end of the first 10 minutes. 

After the lead flipped back-and-forth to start the second, Maddie Stewart ignited a 10-2 Rams run that gave the host a 31-24 cushion with 2:33 to go before halftime. 

The Golden Bears outscored the blue-and-gold 8-1 the rest of the way to even matters up at 32 as the teams head to the locker rooms. 

Things remained close to get the third frame going and Suffolk clung to the lead, 38-36, after Stewart converted a lay-up. Foul trouble plagued the blue-and-gold, which allowed the Golden Bears to go on a quarter-ending 8-2 run that put the Rams in a 46-40 hole. 

That gap grew to double figures after WNE scored the first two buckets of the fourth.  

Suffolk saw chances to comeback, but the double-digit distance proved to be too much ground to make up as WNE hung on for the 62-52 win. 

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• Amanda DeAngelis and Stewart both supplied 12 points. 
• Stewart had an all-around night with six rebounds, five dimes and four takeaways. 
• DeAngelis added three caroms, two blocks, two steals and one handout. 
• Madi Mahoney added 10 points behind a 4-for-9 effort from the floor that included a 2-for-5 showing from downtown to go along with four boards.
• Colby Guinta was the verge of double figures with a nine-point performance. 
• Katie Kirsh chipped in nine points, six boards and two steals. 
• After opening the game with a 43.5 conversion rate in the first half, Suffolk finished the night with a 32.1 percentage from the field and just a 17.6 clip from behind-the-arc. 
• Western New England had two players in double figures in Shaina Cooney and Abby Garaban that racked up 20 points and 11 points, respectively. 
• The Golden Bears shot 48.1 percent from the field for the night. 
• WNE outrebounded the Rams, 44-31. 
• The score tied 10 times and the lead swapped seven. 

NOTEWORTHY

• Suffolk and Western New England met for the 15th time. 
• Every battle between Suffolk and WNE has come under Ed Leyden's leadership. 
• Suffolk opened its CCC calendar at Smith Court for the first time in program history. 
• The Rams played WNE in its first CCC contest of the year for the first time in program history. 
• The Rams began their league calendar in November for the second time in program history first since the 2017-18 campaign. 
• Guinta has made a trey in every game (6) of her collegiate career.
• Stewart notched a career-high in assists (4) and steals (4). 
• Mahoney tallied a personal-best in points (10) and field goals made (4) and tied a career-high two triples made.

POST-GAME PIC
  

WHAT'S NEXT?
Suffolk heads to Endicott Saturday, Dec. 2 for a 1 p.m. CCC clash.