Women’s Basketball Takes Down Regis, 75-71, in GNAC Thriller

BOSTON – The Suffolk women's basketball team overcame a 13-point third-quarter deficit to take down Regis, 75-71, Saturday afternoon in a GNAC thriller inside Regan Gymnasium. 

THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 75, Regis 71
RECORDS: Suffolk (17-6, 10-4 GNAC) | Regis (14-5, 11-3 GNAC)

HOW IT HAPPENED
Regis broke a 5-5 tie with a 6-2 run to put Suffolk in a 12-7 hole. Georgia Bourikas put the Rams within one thanks to four straight points from the senior. 

The Pride responded with four points of its own and once against Suffolk trailed by six. This time Jordan Hipwell put away four consecutive points to trim the margin to two before the team's traded hoops to keep it a two-point Regis game, 19-17, after the first 10 minutes.

Suffolk ran out of the huddle to open the second stanza and grab its first lead of the day, 21-19, thanks to a bucket from Jenni-Rose DiCecco. The score tied twice and the lead was exchanged three times over the next three minutes with a traditional three-point play from Bourikas kept the Rams in front, 27-24, with 5:05 minutes before half time. 

Regis took a timeout to talk things over and used it in its momentum to flip the switch and go ahead 30-29. 

Over the final 2:42 of the first half, the teams switched the advantage twice more, before the Pride scored the final five points of the quarter to send Suffolk into the locker room down, 35-32. 

Regis ran out of half time and quickly built a 13-point cushion, 45-32. Suffolk gained composure in a timeout and strung together 10 consecutive points to pull within three, 45-42, at the midway point of the frame. 

A tightly contested contest held from there until the Pride's final possession where Alexis Hackett picked off a pass and turned it into two points to give the Rams a 56-54 edge as time expired in the third.

Suffolk carried the momentum from Hackett's go-ahead hoop into the opening of the final frame as the blue-and-gold put away the first six points of the fourth quarter to gain a 62-54 lead. The Rams defense was just as powerful as their offense holding the Pride without a point over the first 3:56 of fourth frame action. 

The runs continued down the stretch with Regis using a 5-1 stretch to cut Suffolk's edge to 65-61 with 2:40 remaining.

Down the stretch, for every hoop the Pride made the Rams answered to hold onto the lead, before Regis made things interesting in the final minute. Four quick points from the visitors trimmed Suffolk's edge to two, 73-71, with 22 seconds on the clock. From there, Bourikas handled business at the foul line to seal up the 75-71 win for the Rams. 

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• Bourikas had a day with a 28-point, nine-rebound performance. The senior captain shot 9-for-17 from the field, 3-for-4 from downtown and did not miss (7-7) at the charity stripe.
• Hacket put together a 16-point, seven-rebound effort to go along with seven dimes, three steals and one block.
• DiCecco rounded out the three Rams in double figures with 16 points. The floor general added five caroms, four steals and two handouts to her stat line.
• As a team, Suffolk shot 41.0 percent (25-61) from the floor, 29.6 percent (8-27) from three-point land and 89.5 (17-19) from the foul line.
• Regis, who saw Brittany Stone provide 29 points and 17 caroms, out rebounded the Rams, 45-33. 

NOTEWORTHY

• Suffolk defeated Regis for the first time since the 1998-99 season and fifth time overall.
•  Georgia Bourikas became the 10th Ram in Suffolk women's basketball history to score 1000 points and pull down 500 rebounds and first to do so since Jennifer Ruys'14 accomplished the feat in 2014.
• Bourikas now sits 13th all-time with 1,050 career-points.
• The Rams have now won 10 conference contests for the second straight season and seventh time overall.
• Suffolk defeated Regis for the first time since the 1998-99 season. The win marks the Rams fifth-ever of the Pride.
• Bourikas poured in double digit points for the 17th time this season and surpassed 20-plus points for the fourth time this year.
• Hackett had her 12th game in double figures in scoring, while DiCecco recorded 10-plus points for the 16th time in her career.
• Ed Leyden used the starting combination of DiCecco, Marissa Gudauskas, Bourikas, Hackett and Jordan Hipwell for the second time this season. That five improved to 1-1.\

POST-GAME PIC

COMING UP
The Rams wrap up their road slate in a Tuesday, Feb. 10 tilt at Rivier. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.