Five Score Double-Digits to Lead Women’s Basketball Past Salve Regina, 78-68

BOSTON – Five different players provided double figures including a career-high 24 from Gabriella DeComo to send Suffolk women's basketball to a 78-68 triumph over Salve Regina in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) action at Larry E. and Michael S. Smith Court Saturday afternoon. 

THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 78 | Salve Regina 68
RECORDS: Suffolk (14-5, 8-4 CCC) | Salve Regina (9-9, 8-4 CCC)  

HOW IT HAPPANED
It started as the Suffolk show as the Rams ran up a 9-0 lead and held the Seahawks scoreless for the first 3:36. Once Salve Regina got going though, things turned interesting as the visitors put up seven straight to trim the gap two a pair at the midway point.  

After back-and-forth action, the Rams wrapped up the opening quarter with five unanswered courtesy of three from Amanda DeAngelis and a lay-up Jenni-Rose DiCecco. Those hoops helped the blue-and-gold to a 24-18 lead with 10 minutes in the books.   

DiCecco got the second stanza going the same way she ended the first, with a lay-up. This time the graduate student scored on the fast-break behind a feed from Marissa Gattuso. The easy hoop did not spark Suffolk, however, as Salve Regina pull back into the mix with seven points in a row that made it a one-point game, 29-28, with 6:40 left on the clock before half time.  

Freebies by DeAngelis followed by back-to-back buckets by DeComo got the Rams rolling again and restored a seven-point cushion, 35-28. That edge would get cut down to one possession, 39-36, again when Morgan Shuey sandwiched triples around an Emily Welling lay-up. 

Thanks to a 4-2 Suffolk stretch over the final three minutes before intermission, the Rams headed into the locker room ahead, 43-28. 

Salve Regina capitalized on a sluggish Suffolk out of the break and leveled the playing field at 50-all at the 5:11 mark. Sydney Noyes eliminated the evened outing with a drop-step lay-up and DiCecco padded the lead back to four with a lay-up of her own.  

The Seahawks continued to claw their way back into the mix until DeComo's lay-up was followed by four free throws from DeAngelis that restored a comfortable distance, 60-52, with just over a minute to play in the third. 

Amanda Folan poured in a trey, got fouled and converted the four-point play to end the frame to make it a 60-56 game as the contest headed to the fourth. 

Suffolk controlled the first half of the final frame by outscoring Salve Regina, 13-3, to hold onto 71-59 advantage. The Rams managed all of the Seahawks comeback attempts the rest of the way to wrap up conference victory.  

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• DeComo was a huge force for Suffolk's scoring with a game-high 24 points behind a 10-for-19 showing from the field, which included a 4-for-7 effort from downtown. She added three assists, three boards, one block and one steal. 
• DiCecco assembled a 13-point, eight-rebound, six-assist, three-steal stat line. 
• Welling registered 14 points on a 7-for-13 showing from the floor to go along with two caroms, two swats and a pair of steals. 
• DeAngelis added a boost off the bench with a 13-point, 10-rebound double-double. The sophomore went 7-for-8 at the charity stripe. She added three blocks, two takeaways and one helper. 
• Lopes rounded out the Rams in double-digit with 10 points. The senior also supplied five assists, three steals, two blocks and boards, respectively. 
• Suffolk shot 43.1 percent (31-72) as a unit and 68.8 percent (11-16) at the line. 
• The Seahawks, who received 20 points from Shuey, outrebounded the Rams, 42-41.  

NOTEWORTHY

• Suffolk defeated Salve Regina for the fourth straight meeting to move to 7-5 all-time against the Seahawks. 
• The Rams are now 2-2 when hosting the Seahawks.
• Prior to tip-off, Suffolk honored DiCecco as the program's all-time leader in assists, field goals made, points and steals. 
• DeComo had a career-high 24 points. The graduate student matched a personal-best 10 field goals made and set a new career-best 3-pointers made with four. 
• DeAngelis notched her third collegiate double-double and third double-double effort of the season. 
• DeAngelis blocked a career-high three shots. 
• Lopes matched a personal-best five dimes.  

POST-GAME PIC
  

COMING UP
Suffolk starts a three-game week Tuesday, Feb. 8 against University of New England at 5:30 p.m.