Feature: Courting Success
Suffolk men’s and women’s basketball teams lit up the court in postseason play
Courtesy of Suffolk.edu Tony Ferullo of Suffolk University's Public Affairs Office
Suffolk men's and women's basketball teams lit up the court in postseason play
March Madness came early for the Suffolk men's and women's basketball teams. Late February found both squads advancing to the semifinal round of the 2024 Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) postseason tournament, with the men's team—underdogs throughout the regular season—making it all the way to the CCC finals on February 24, a Suffolk basketball first.
In a heart-pounding championship game that saw 20 lead changes, the sixth-seeded Suffolk men's team narrowly dropped a 79-76 decision to fifth-seeded Roger Williams University. The team got there by topping third-seeded Endicott College, 80-79 in overtime, in the first round, and defeating second-seeded Western New England, 74-63, in the semifinals.
"I'm extremely proud that when the lights were the brightest, our guys stepped up in the biggest moments," said head coach Jeff Juron, whose team finished the season with a record of 15-12, 8-8 in the CCC. "We played our best basketball at the end of the season, and that's a credit to our players. They stayed focused, worked hard, and played together."
The fourth-seeded women's team enjoyed an outstanding 20-11 season, with a 12-4 record in conference play. Their winning ways continued in the first round of the CCC championship with an 84-64 victory over Endicott College—earning the team their first-ever ticket to the tourney semifinal, where they fell to Western New England University, 69-51.
Ed Leyden, who just completed his 30th season as head coach of the women's team, praised his squad for their team-first attitude. "This was a fun team to coach. They got along well, and always came ready to play—at every practice and every game."
Another season highlight: Four basketball players joined the Suffolk 1,000-point club—senior forward Amanda DeAngelis (1,189); graduate student Lauren Romito (1,122); junior guard-forward Keenan Robertson (1,209); and graduate student Evan Cook (1,156).