Women’s Basketball Edges MIT, 75-72

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – In a game that featured 12 lead exchanges and 11 tied scores, Suffolk women's basketball came out on top of MIT, 75-72, Monday night at the Rockwell Cage. 

THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 75 | MIT 72
RECORDS: Suffolk (4-1) | MIT (1-4) 

HOW IT HAPPENED
It was a back-and-forth affair from the get go with a third of the lead swaps coming in the first 10 minutes that featured four leveled scores as well with Suffolk on top, 16-15.  

The Rams managed to build a 22-17 cushion, but a scoring draught by Suffolk allowed MIT to put up 10 unanswered to flip the script in its favor, which put the blue-and-gold in a five-point hole.

Back-to-back triples from Colby Guinta regained the advantage for Suffolk. Things continued to teeter-totter and the Engineers ended the first half on a 6-2 stretch to send the Rams into the locker room down, 37-32. 

Suffolk had to play catch-up most of the third. For every hoop the Rams mustered the Engineers had an answer. As the teams went hoop-for-hoop, Maddie Stewart's bucket from behind-the-arc pushed the blue-and-gold ahead 51-50 with 1:36 left on the clock in the third. 

Neither team would score the rest of the third quarter to keep the score there at the end of 30 minutes. 

Stewart sunk the first points of the fourth frame, but MIT took over again with seven straight points to make it a 57-53 game with 7:12 remaining. 

Forced to comeback, the Rams trailed by two, 66-64, with 3:23 on the clock. 

Ed Leyden used a timeout to draw up some defense. The huddle enticed Arlenis Veloz to go for a steal on the Engineers next possession and that takeaway turned into two points to equalize matters at 66-all. 

The score leveled once more, at 68, before Stewart switched the advantage in Suffolk's favor with a free throw with 47 seconds left. 

The Rams were in the driver's seat from there and put the game away at the charity stripe as they went 5-for-6 at the line down the stretch. 

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• Guinta registered a game-high 25 points behind a 9-for-11 showing from the field that included a 3-for-4 effort from downtown and a perfect 4-for-4 performance at the line. The rookie added one board and one steal. 
• Amanda DeAngelis finished with a 13-point, 10-rebound double-double, to go along with one dime and one swat. 
• Stewart supplied 16 points, two helpers, two swats, one carom and one steal. 
• Aisling Crowley provided eight points, seven boards and one block off the bench. 
• Katie Kirsch pitched in nine boards, five points, one block and one assist. 
• Veloz chipped in an all-around effort of eight points, four rebounds, three handouts, three steals and one block. 
• Suffolk shot 44.8 percent (26-58) on the night, 50.0 percent (5-10) from 3-point range and 7.3 percent (18-23) from the free throw line. 
• MIT saw three players in double figures in Brianna Lebrun (20), Kamsi Nwogu (18) and Sarah Berman (10). 
• The Engineers outrebounded the Rams, 47-38. 
• Both teams poured in points in the paint. Suffolk scored 36 in the key, while MIT notched 44 points in the paint.  

NOTEWORTHY

• Suffolk defeated MIT for the ninth time in program history, first since Nov. 16, 2013. 
• The 75 points scored are the most for the Rams against the Engineers since Suffolk scored 79 in a 79-63 triumph in 2002-03. 
• The 75 points offensive output is the third highest for the blue-and-gold in the all-time series against MIT falling behind the 2002-03 squad that put together a 79-63 win and the 1988-89 team that defeated the Engineers, 77-59. 
• Guinta has hit a trey in all five games of her collegiate career. 
• Guinta scored a career-high 25 points behind a personal-best in field goals made (9). She matched a personal-high 3-point field goals made (3). 
• DeAngelis compiled her second double-double of the season, which brings her collegiate total to six. 
• Veloz set a new personal-best in steals (3) and matched a career-high three assists. She has set-up three shots in the last three games. 
• Stewart racked up a career-high two blocks.  

POST-GAME PIC

WHAT'S NEXT?
Suffolk is away from action until it pulls the curtain back on its Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) calendar Wednesday, Nov. 30 against Western New England at 5:30 p.m. at Larry E. and Michael S. Smith Court.