The Suffolk Lady Rams defeated Anna Maria College 68-58 on Tuesday in the Great Northeastern Athletic Conference (GNAC) Quarterfinal. This marks the Lady Rams’ 24th tournament appearance, and their eleventh semifinal appearance.
Suffolk leaned heavily on its starting lineup, as the starters combined to score 65 of the team’s 68 points.It was a game filled with team runs, as Suffolk finished the 1st quarter on a 9-0 run to establish an 18-8 lead.
Anna Maria answered right back with an 8-2 run of their own, making it just a four point game. The Lady Rams responded with a 12-5 run, and the final after one half of basketball was 32-21 in Suffolk’s favor.
Despite a key injury to starter Sienna Johnson in the third quarter, Anna Maria countered with a 7-0 run to bring the game within eight points. Johnson later returned during the same quarter.
The final quarter was a near standstill for the majority of it, but a big 12-6 run helped Anna Maria tie the game with only three minutes remaining. From there, sophomore Jenni-Rose DiCecco took over, scoring seven straight points for the Lady Rams and finishing with nine of their last 11 points.
Key performers were DiCecco, who tallied 18 points, six rebounds and six assists, Jordan Hipwell who scored 12 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and Marissa Gudauskas who lead both teams with 20 points.
The Lady Rams will go on to play first seeded Saint Joseph’s (Me.) Thursday, Feb. 21, in the GNAC semifinals.