BOSTON – Suffolk men's basketball saw five different players in double figures as the third seeded Rams held on for a 75-67 Conference of New England (CNE) First Round victory over sixth seed University of New England Wednesday night at Larry E. and Michael S. Smith Court.  

THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 75 | University of New England 67
RECORDS: Suffolk (16-10) | University of New England (12-14) 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Suffolk led 7-3 at the first media timeout and that gap grew to 17-9 at the under 12 huddle. 
• Eight quick points from the Rams stretched the advantage to 25-10 at the 9"58 mark before the Nor'Easters rallied around a 10-2 spurt to slice the margin to seven, 27-20, with 4:59 to go before halftime. 
• The blue-and-gold went on a 9-0 run over the next two minutes to push its cushion to 16, 36-20. 
• Back-and-forth action closed out the first frame with Suffolk in front, 41-28. 
• UNE stormed out of halftime with a 9-2 spurt to make it a two-possession game, 43-37, with 15:55 to play. 
• The Rams responded with six straight points, all behind mid-range, pull-up jumpers by Nick Verdile to restore the double-digit distance, 49-37, 1:30 minutes later. 
• Suffolk found itself in foul trouble, which allowed UNE to remain in the thick of things before back-to-back long balls, one by Verdile followed by Harrison Neil, gave the host a 57-43 upperhand a the under eight media in the second half. 
• See-saw action consumed the final seven minutes of regulation before UNE made things interesting when Adam Lux buried triple with just over one minute to go to cut the Rams edge to eight, 71-63.
• The Nor'Easter's caused a Suffolk turnover out of their own timeout and Jayden Thornton knocked down a trey to bring the visitors even closer, 71-66, with 34 seconds on the clock. 
• UNE continuously tried to comeback with buckets from downtown. Thankfully, Suffolk sunk its free throws down the stretch to preserve the postseason victory.  

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• Verdile finished with 20 points on an 8-for-11 showing from the floor to go along with four helpers and three boards. 
• James Jones registered an 11-rebound, 10-point double-double to go along with two assists and two blocks. 
• Hatcher Nordquist supplied 16 points, four dimes and two caroms. 
• Neil added 13 points, six rebounds, four assists and one steal. 
• Declan Davis pitched in 10 points, four boards, three takeaways and one assist. 
• Suffolk shot 45.8 percent on the night including a 34.6 conversion rate from 3-point land. 
• The Nor'Easters outrebounded the Rams, 45-40. 

NOTEWORTHY

• Suffolk is in the middle of its 21st overall, fifth CNE, and 13th straight postseason run.
• The Rams are competing in the postseason as the third seed for the second time in as many years and third time overall. 
• The blue-and-gold improved to 3-1 in the CNE Tournament as the third seed. 
• Suffolk will advance to the conference semifinals for the eighth time, third straight season. 
• Suffolk is now 6-4 in the CNE Tournament. 
• The Rams hosted a CNE postseason game for the third time, second straight season. 
• The blue-and-gold remains unbeaten in a CNE Tournament tilt at Smith Court, 4-0. 
• With Jeff Juron on the bench, Suffolk is now 7-8 in the postseason and 6-4 in the CNE Tournament.
• Suffolk met UNE in the postseason for the first time. 
• The Rams defeated the Nor'Easters for the fifth straight meeting to improve to 19-12 all-time against UNE. 
• At home, Suffolk is now 10-6 versus the Nor'Easters. 
• James produced his sixth double-double of the season, second in as many games. 

WHAT'S NEXT?
Suffolk's quest for the CNE crown continues Friday, Feb. 27 at second seed Western New England at 7:00 p.m.