The Suffolk University Women's Basketball team opened the 2010-11 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Tournament with a 68-55 victory over the Mount Ida College Mustangs (9-17) in Tuesday's Quarterfinals matchup at the Regan Gymnasium.
Freshman Jennifer Ruys (Wallingford, Conn.) led all scorers with 19 points and junior Meghan Black (Roslindale, Mass.) recorded her second double-double of the season posting 15 points along with 10 rebounds as the Rams move to 17-9 on the season.
Junior Jeileen Rivera (Springfield, Mass.) had a double-double of her own for the Mustangs posting 15 points and a team-high 12 rebounds. Freshman Abigail Fedigan (New Fairfield, Conn.) had a team-high 17 points on 3-of-4 shooting from beyond the arc, while junior Shannon Wood (Gorham, Me.) had 12 points.
Both teams came out with a slow first half that saw the Rams head into the break with a slim 27-22 lead as both teams struggled offensively and combined for 21 total turnovers.
The Rams opened up the second half with a 13-3 run in the opening seven minutes of play. Ruys led the way with seven points, while junior Mary Garon (Auburn, N.H.) put in a strong defensive effort collecting five defensive rebounds adding a block and a steal.
Suffolk would continue to build their lead throughout the half as they led by as many as 18 at one point and held a double digit lead for most of the remainder of the game.
Sophomore Dominique Demar had a strong second half performance that saw her score 10 points and collect eight rebounds, en route to her first career double-double as she finished with a team-high 13 rebounds and 10 points.
Demar (6-for-6), Ruys (4-for-4) and Black (4-for-4) were part of a second half that saw the Rams shoot 15-for-18 from the free-throw line which helped key the Rams win.
The Rams also held the overall edge in rebounds at 59-40 in the contest.
The loss ends the Mustangs season, who finish with a 9-17 overall record.
Suffolk will move on to Thursday's semifinals as they will face off against third-seeded St. Joseph's College of Maine (18-8 overall). The Monks defeated Emerson College on Tuesday evening, 69-48. Suffolk defeated the Monks earlier this season on January 13, 66-60. Thursday's semifinals will tipoff at 7:00pm with the Rams hosting at the Regan Gymnasium.