Late Run Sends Women’s Basketball Past UMass Boston in Season Opener

BOSTON – Over the final 4:30 of action, the Suffolk women's basketball team outscored UMass Boston, 11-2, to capture a 73-70 season-opening win Tuesday night at the Beacon's Clark Athletic Center. 

THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 73, UMass Boston 70
RECORDS: Suffolk (1-0) | UMass Boston (0-1)

HOW IT HAPPENED
UMass Boston took its largest lead of the night, 64-58, with just 6:37 to play. Caitlyn Caramello jump started a Rams' run with a lay-up and Suffolk regained the lead on Nagri's third triple of the night, 69-68, with 2:24 on the clock. 

Down the stretch, Bourikas and Caremello connected from the strip to seal the season opening victory. 

The game started off as a back-and-forth affair and held true throughout as the lead flipped 10 times and locked up eight. After a close first half, in which neither team led by more than five points, both sides grabbed control of the momentum for long periods in the second stanza. 

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

•  Suffolk saw four different players in double figures paced by Kelsey Schiebel's 15. Alexandra Nagri was not far behind with 14 with Georgia Bourikas chip 12 and Alexis Hackett adding a 10-point spark off the bench. 
• Every Rams player who saw action on opening night recorded a point and contributed to Suffolk's 43.1 percent shooting percentage from the floor. 
• Suffolk shined from long-range, shooting a collective 56.3 (9-16) from beyond the arc paced by 3-for-5 days from both Nagri and Schiebel. 
• The Rams out rebounded the Beacons, 42-39, but UMass capitalized on its second chances, with 18 points. 
• The Beacons also turned Suffolk's 20 mistakes into 29 points. 
• Both squads had identical assists (16) and blocks (3). 

NOTEWORTHY

• Suffolk won its sixth season opener to move to 18-16 all-time on opening night. 
• The Rams are 14-9 on day one under the guidance of 23-year head coach Ed Leyden. 
• Suffolk kept its season opening record versus UMass Boston perfect, as the Rams won the second all-time meeting with the Beacons on the first day of the season. The win marked the blue and gold's 10th all-time against its Bay State rival, but the Rams continue to trail the series, 10-15. 

POST-GAME PIC

WHAT'S NEXT?
Over the weekend the Rams travel across Boston Common for the Emerson Tip-Off Tournament. Suffolk has its sights on its first matchup with Wesleyan Saturday, Nov. 19 at 3 p.m. The winner of that contest will advance to play the victor of the Emerson/Simmons showdown the following day with both losing teams also squaring off Sunday, Nov. 20.