Jamie Taris

Freshman guard Ava Thurman drives to the basket during a game against the University of New England Jan. 4.

The Suffolk University women’s basketball team took the win in a thrilling game against number-one-ranked Western New England University Jan. 31 with a score of 66-53.

The stands were buzzing with excitement, ready to watch a game that from the beginning was guaranteed to be close. The matchup began with a back-and-forth struggle between the teams. Jordan Moreau kicked off the scoring for the night and helped Suffolk to an early lead of 6-2. However, WNE caught up and the Rams ended the first quarter narrowly ahead at 12-10.

In the second quarter, Suffolk fell back going into the half at 21-28 but came back in the third. The Rams controlled the pace and through a 12-2 run, battled to tie it 35-35. Graduate Student Madi Mahoney made a three to make the score up 42-40 and go into the fourth on top.

Suffolk fans were on the edge of their seats during the fourth quarter as they watched the Rams go on a 13-2 run, bringing the game to 55-44. A nail-biting finish followed, with both teams delivering clutch shots and getting to a seven-point difference before the Rams came out with the win.

The game leaves the Rams tied for first in their conference.

After the final buzzer echoed throughout the gym, head coach Ed Leyden spoke for the team’s hard-fought victory.

“It was a team win,” Leyden emphasized, adding that the group really fights for each victory and that he is really proud of them.

Leyden also acknowledged that individual performances really stood out on the court.

“I thought Aisling Crowley played tremendous defense and I thought Jordan Moreau did a terrific job as far as controlling the game the second half,” he said.

As for the rebound in the second half, Leyden pointed out that it was mainly about speeding up the pace.

“We got the tempo our way and we simplified the defense. The tempo was too slow for us the first half, but we were able to rebound and run the second half which is what we like to do,” said Leyden.

When asked what the team is going to do to prepare for the rest of the season, Leyden said that they focus on what’s in front of them.

“We really try to have a good practice, and it’s cliche but we try to go one game at a time and don’t go beyond that,” Leyden said.

After the Rams won their sixth straight game Feb. 6, they look to extend their win streak to seven at Nichols Feb. 10.