Suffolk Snaps Wentworth's Win Streak

BOSTON, Mass. – Freshman guard Lindsay Rogers (Gloucester, Mass.) hit one of two free throws with 5:06 remaining to snap a 45-all tie and pit the Suffolk women's basketball team ahead for good as the Rams defeated Wentworth, 56-50, in a non-conference contest played at Tansey Gymnasium.

After a slow going first 2:11, the Rams broke the ice when Rogers converted a four-point play, and after Wentworth would eventually trim the lead to one (6-5), Suffolk used a 9-2 run to take a 15-7 lead with 12:41 to play in the half.

The Leopards cut the lead to five on a pair of freshman guard Ashley Conway (Danvers, Mass.) free throws with 7:36 remaining, but the Rams responded with a 10-0 run, capped off by a three pointer from sophomore forward Julianne Conrad (West Bridgewater, Mass.) three pointer off a fast break to lead, 29-14, with 3:59 left.  An 8-0 run by the hosts – with six of those points coming from senior guard Michelle Fauci (Boxford, Mass.) – trimmed the lead to 29-22 before Suffolk closed out the half with four straight points and led, 33-22.  Over the course of the first half the Rams shot 40 percent from the floor and would hold Wentworth to just 26.5 percent, including 8.3 percent from behind the three-point arc.

With the two teams trading baskets for the first four minutes of the second stanza, Suffolk held a 38-27 lead with 17:20 remaining in the contest.  The Leopards would not go quietly, however, as they put together a 12-0 run over a span of 6:18 and took their first lead of the game, 39-38, when senior forward Jessie Coffey (Wakefield, R.I.) converted a three-point play.

Suffolk scored the next five points to go ahead by four before senior guard Michelle Moffo (Southington, Conn.) and junior forward Kirsten Vallone (Avon, N.Y.) hit consecutive baskets to tie the game at 43-all.  After sophomore forward Meghan Black (Roslindale, Mass.) hit a pair of free throws to push the lead to two, Conway converted a layup which tied the game for the final time.

Rogers missed the first attempt, but buried the second, which gave the Rams a 46-45 lead, before Black scored four straight points to make it a five-point game.  Wentworth was able to cut the lead to as few as two with 48 seconds left, but a basket by freshman guard Jacqueline Vienneau (Salem, N.H.) on the next possession made it s four-point game and Vienneau hit two free throws with 22 ticks left to round the scoring out.

Conrad paced four double-figure scorers for the Rams as she connected on 6 of 11 shots – 4-for-5 from behind the arc – for 16 points to go along with eight rebounds and two blocks.  Vienneau added 13 points, six rebounds, and five assists, while Black had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds in addition to blocking three shots.  Rogers finished the game with 10 points and eight rebounds.

Fauci led Wentworth with 18 points and five assists while tying her career high with 12 steals.  Vallone scored all eight of her points in the second half and had eight rebounds.

The win is the second straight for the Rams who even their record at 6-6.  Wentworth sees its two-game win streak end and is 6-7.  Both teams return to conference action on Saturday.  Suffolk hosts Emmanuel while Wentworth is at Roger Williams.