Women’s Basketball Rolls to Fourth Straight, Downs Albertus Magnus, 71-53

BOSTON – Playing in front of its home crowd for the first time in 2017, the Suffolk women's basketball team put on a show as it cruised past Albertus Magnus 71-53 in GNAC action Thursday night inside Regan Gymnasium for its fourth consecutive victory. 

THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 71, Albertus Magnus 53
RECORDS: Suffolk (9-5, 4-1 GNAC) | Albertus Magnus (8-6, 3-5 GNAC)

HOW IT HAPPENED
Over the first 3:51 of action Suffolk went a perfect 5-for-5 to take a 13-6 edge and force an Alberts Magus timeout. The Rams remained in front for the remainder of the first 10 minutes and took a 29-19 cushion into the second stanza. 

The Falcons put away the first two buckets of the second stanza, but hoops from Caitlyn Caramello and Marissa Gudauskas regained a double figure lead for the hosts. The Rams went ahead by as many as 14, 41-27, on a layup from Alexis Hackett. The visitors made a late run to end of the half to cut the deficit back to 10, 41-31, at intermission. 

Out of the half, Albertus Magnus continued its run to make it an eight-point game 41-35, with 7:09 on the clock in the third quarter. Suffolk picked up the pieces from there, putting in back-to-back buckets from Georgia Bourikas and Katelyn Rourke to retake a 10-point lead at the midway point of the quarter.  Down the stretch, Suffolk kept the Falcons at a distance and brought a 55-41 advantage into the final frame. 

The Rams kept the Falcons at bay over the final 10 minutes to walk away with its fourth straight win by a 71-53 decision. 

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• Bourikas led the way with 16 points, shooting 6-for-11 on the day. The senior guard added three rebounds, two assists and one steal to her effort.
• Hackett had an all-around performance, pouring a double-double effort on 13 points and 14 rebounds off the bench to go along with three assists, one block and one steal.
• Rourke rounded out the Rams in double figures with 10 points, shooting 50 percent (4-8) from the field.
• Suffolk outrebounded Albertus Magnus, 50-37, while the Falcons held advantages in steals, 10-7. 

NOTEWORTHY

• Suffolk moved to 14-7 all-time against the Falcons with its seventh straight win over Albertus Magnus.
• The fourth consecutive win for the Rams marks the longest with streak for the blue-and-gold this season and most victories in a row since Suffolk strung six together Feb. 6-23, 2016.
• Rourke one-up her career-best in steals (3) taking away four in the first 6:32 minutes of play. She finished the night with four steals.
• It is the second straight game that Hackett pulled down double figure boards and fourth overall time this season the freshman grabbed double digit caroms. The 14-rebounds mark a new career-best for the forward.
• Ciarri Formby-Lavertu had a career-high five points in three minutes of action, going 2-for-2 from the field. 

POST-GAME PIC
 

WHAT'S NEXT?
Suffolk remains in Regan Gymnasium for a Saturday (Jan. 14) showdown versus Mount Ida. The Rams and Mustangs are scheduled to tip-off at 1 p.m.