Women’s Basketball Blocks Hartford, 72-62

BOSTON – In the first-ever meeting between Suffolk women's basketball and Hartford at Larry E. and Michael S. Smith Court, Amanda DeAngelis led the Rams past the Hawks, 72-62, in a contest that featured 13 lead changes and six ties. DeAngelis finished with a game-high 27 points to pace the blue-and-gold's offensive output Tuesday night.  

THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 72 | Hartford 62
RECORDS: Suffolk (17-5) | Hartford (9-12)  

HOW IT HAPPENED
Suffolk fell in a 10-point hole in the first two minutes. DeAngelis got the Rams offense started with a 2-for-2 trip to the charity stripe. Those freebies got the blue-and-gold on the board, but the host still found itself down eight, 16-8, at the 4:44 mark of the first frame.  

Once again DeAngelis sparked scoring for Suffolk. The senior's turnaround jumper inside the lane ignited a 10-0 Ram rally that pushed the host ahead, 18-16, with 2:07 remaining in the opening quarter. That spurt featured four points from DeAngelis and a pair of treys by Jordan Moreau.  

The lead bounced back in forth over the final two minutes of the first and Suffolk clung to a 20-19 edge.  

The second stanza was a story of runs. After Taryn Blevins buried a 3-pointer to send Hartford back in front Suffolk scored eight unanswered to grab a 28-22 advantage with 7:04 on the clock before half time. The Hawks flipped the script over the next 4:40 with 10 consecutive points to regain the lead, 32-28.  

Suffolk kept the Hawks scoreless the rest of the second quarter. Offensively, the Rams were limited to just two more field goals. Aisling Crowley chipped the margin to two, at the 3:49 mark, but the blue-and-gold would not score again until the buzzer sounded when DeAngelis went coast-to-coast on and banked in a fastbreak layup to send the teams into the locker room even at 32.  

See-saw action consumed the beginning of the third with a pair of tied scores and six lead changes. The last exchange came in Rams' favor when Moreau swished a baseline jumper. That hoop was the first of eight straight Suffolk points that made it a nine-point gap, 51-42, with 3:20 to go in the quarter.  

The ping-pong affair carried on as the Hawks closed the third with six consecutive points to cut the margin to three, 51-48. 

The playing field leveled twice in the first three minutes of the fourth with the last coming with just under seven minutes left at 54-all. 

DeAngelis and Madi Mahoney combined forces to give Suffolk a 62-57 upper hand with 3:59 to go in regulation. The former supplied four points, while the latter was responsible for five of the 8-3 Rams run.  

Hartford kept Ram Nation on the edge of its seats as it trimmed down the deficit to one possession, 62-59, with 2:59 to play. 

Suffolk controlled the pace of play from there as it went on to build a double figure distance, which remained at the final horn, 72-62. 

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• DeAngelis assembled a 27-point, 12-rebound double-double with six steals, four blocks and two assists. 
• Moreau supplied 16 points on a 6-for-8 conversion rate from the floor that included a 2-for-3 showing from downtown. 
• Colby Guinta recorded 10 points, three boards and two dimes. She shot 3-for-7 from the floor including ga 1-for-2 showing from 3-point land. 
• Lauren Romito grabbed 10 caroms to go along with eight points, six swats and five helpers. 
• Mahoney added seven points, five of which came in the second half, to go along with three rebounds and one steal. 
• Suffolk shot 46.0 percent (29-63) from the floor, 50.0 percent (4-8) from behind-the-arc and 71.4 percent (10-14) from the line. 
• The Rams outrebounded the Hawks, 48-44. 
• 61.1% of Suffolk's scoring (44-72) came in the paint. 
• The Rams scored 21 points in transition compared to the Hawks eight fastbreak points. 
• Both teams had a double figure distance – Hartford's came in the first two minutes of the game, while the Rams came in the last 30 seconds of regulation.   

NOTEWORTHY

• Suffolk hosted Hartford for the first time in program history. 
• The Rams defeated the Hawks for the first time. 
• Suffolk moved to 1-1 all-time versus Hartford. 
• Suffolk is unbeaten, 1-0, as the home team against Hartford. 
• The Rams won their sixth straight game. The six victories in a row are the most for Suffolk since stringing six triumphs together March 6-25, 2021. 
• DeAngelis put together her fifth consecutive double-double, 16th of the season and 32nd of her collegiate career. 
• DeAngelis had a career-high four blocks. 
• Romito blocked a personal-best six shots for the third time in her career. 

WHAT'S NEXT?
Suffolk returns to its CCC calendar Saturday, Feb. 10 when it heads to Nichols for a 1 p.m. conference clash.