Albertus Mangus Flies Past Women’s Basketball in Second Half, 68-62

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – On its Senior Day, Albertus Magnus roared out of the locker room to outscore the Rams, 41-29, in the second half and spoil the Suffolk women's basketball season final by a 68-62 decision Saturday afternoon at the Cosgrove Messer Marcus Athletic Center. 

THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 62 |Albertus Magnus 68
RECORDS: Suffolk (18-7, 9-3 GNAC) | Albertus Magnus (22-3, 10-2 GNAC) 

HOW IT HAPPENED
Suffolk stormed ahead early on as it held the Falcons over a 4:15 stretch in the opening quarter to build a 10-point, 21-11, distance after the first 10 minutes of play. 

The second stanza is when things started to get interesting as Albertus Magnus slowly chipped away at the Rams' advantage. On the first possession of the second quarter Emily Welling stretched Suffolk's edge to 12, but it dwindled to as small as four, twice. With six seconds left before the break freshman Natalie Fraioli converted on a pair of freebies to send Suffolk into the intermission ahead by six, 33-27.   

Albertus Magnus ran together a 10-2 spurt to get the third quarter going and take its first lead, 37-35, since the 8:20 mark of the first frame. Off the bench Shannon Smith leveled the playing field and Jenni-Rose DiCecco buried her first bucket of the day behind-the-arc to put the blue-and-gold in front once again, 40-37.

Back-and-forth action wrapped up play in the third quarter, which Suffolk ended ahead by two, 44-42.   

Once again, the Falcons found their grove in the huddle and flew into the fourth frame on a 13-2 stretch that put the rams in an eight-point hole, 55-47, with 6:42 minutes remaining in regulation.

Welling jump started Suffolk's comeback, which featured three consecutive triples when Marissa Gudauskas sandwiched two around one from DiCecco. The trio of treys put the Rams in front, 58-56, at the midway point. 

Things score leveled twice before the Falcons gained the advantage on a hoop from three-point land by Emma Pierson with just under three minutes to go. 

The Rams were unable to respond to the bucket behind-the-arc and went down by seven with 1:57 left on the clock. 

Gabriella DeComo banked a lay-up in to cut the deficit to five at the 1:16 minute mark, but it would not be enough as Albertus Magnus hit a free throw to secure the conference clash and third seed in the 2019 GNAC Tournament. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Gudauskas guided Suffolk's offense with a 15-point performance. Four of her five field goals came from downtown. Along with her offensive output, which also featured three helpers, she grabbed six boards and had one swat.
• DiCecco donated on both sides of the ball with an 11-point, 10-rebound performance to go along with six dimes and one takeaway. All 11 of the floor general's points game in the second half.
• Welling was a consistent contributor on offense and defense as well with a nine-carom, six-point, four-block afternoon.
• Jordan Hipwell helped out offensively with 13 points.
• Suffolk struggled from the floor, shooting just 34.9 percent (22-63) as a team.
• The Falcons grabbed the edge on the glass, 44-43.   

NOTEWORTHY

• Suffolk secured a spot in its 24th consecutive conference tournament
• The Rams will head into the league's postseason as the field's fourth seed.
• DiCecco produced her third double-double of the year and fifth of her collegiate career.
• Welling notched personal-bests in rebounds (9) and blocks (4). 

POST-GAME PIC
 

COMING UP
Suffolk awaits the official seeding of the 2019 GNAC Tournament.