Women’s Basketball Holds Off Keene State, 54-48

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Despite not making a field goal in the fourth quarter, Suffolk women's basketball managed to maintain its composure and make necessary free throws, to grab a 54-48 victory over Keene State Friday afternoon at the McArthur Center on the campus of Eckerd College as part of the Basketball Destinations St. Pete Classic.  

THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 54 | Keene State 48
RECORDS Suffolk (8-1) | Keen State (4-4) 

HOW IT HAPPENED
Suffolk roared out to an 8-0 lead that blossomed into a 23-11 cushion after the first 10 minutes. The Rams defense limited the Owls to just five field goals in the opening quarter, while the blue-and-gold's offense saw six different players provided at least one hoops with Madi Mahoney's and Jordan Moreau's five points apiece leading the way.  

The Rams' lead grew to as many as 16 twice in the second quarter with the last coming at 29-13 when Mahoney sunk a pull-up jumper at the 5:44 mark. The Owls went on a 13-5 quarter-ending spurt that sliced Suffolk's advantage to eight, 34-26, at halftime.   

Like the first frame, Suffolk outscored the Owls, 9-2, to make it a 15-point gap, 43-28, with 5:43 on the clock in the third. Amanda DeAngelis was the main ingredient to that offensive output as the senior supplied six of the nine points with the other three belonging to Mahoney on a bucket from behind-the-arc. 

A Suffolk scoring draught that lasted over five minutes allowed KSU to pull with eight, 43-35. Back-and-forth action closed out the quarter with the blue-and-gold in front by nine 46-37. 

Neither team hit a field goal in the first five minutes of the fourth quarter. Fortunately for Suffolk, the Rams were sent to the charity stripe where they extended their edge back to 14, 51-37, after going 5-for-6 at the line.  

Once the Owls got their freebie opportunities, they made the most of them. Three free throws by Keene State were followed by the first field goal of the stanza, a good jumper in the paint by Valerie Luizzi that got the deficit down to single digits once again, 51-42, with 4:05 remaining in regulation. 

With Suffolk unable to find the bottom of the net from the field the Owls to remain within striking distance as the game came down to the wire. Jackie Albrandi truly made things interesting when she sunk a triple with nine seconds on the clock. Thankfully for the Rams, time expired and the victory landed in the laps of the blue-and-gold. 

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• DeAngelis finished with a 15-point, 13-rebound double-double. She added four steals and two blocks to her stat line. 
• Mamhoney registered 13 points on a 5-for-9 day from the floor that included a 3-for-6 effort from 3-point range. 
• Moreau chipped in nine points, three assists and three boards. 
• Lauren Romito had a well-balanced performance of 12 caroms, seven points, three steals, one block and one helper.
• Aisling Crowley added seven rebounds, three points, one helper and one takeaway. 
• As a team, Suffolk shot just 30.5 percent (18-59) from the field, 22.7 percent (5-22) from behind-the-arc and 76.5 percent (13-17) from the line. 
• The Rams outrebounded the Owls, 49-38.  

NOTEWORTHY

• Suffolk defeated Keene State for the second time in program history. 
• The Rams leveled the all-time series with the Owls at 2-2. 
• Suffolk has taken down KSU in back-to-back meetings. 
• The Rams and Owls met on neutral hardwood for the first time in program history. 
• Suffolk is unbeaten, 1-0, at a neutral site versus Keene State. 
• DeAngelis had her seventh double-double of the season, 23rd of her collegiate career. 
• Claire Berkowitz grabbed a personal-best three rebounds. 
• Allison Bono made her Suffolk debut. She pitched in two points, one board and one steal.  

WHAT'S NEXT?
Suffolk wraps up action in the Sunshine State tomorrow, Saturday, Dec. 30 at 7 p.m. versus Wisconsin Stevens Point.