Suffolk University’s women’s basketball team defeated the former NCAA Division I Hartford Hawks 72-62 in yet another nail-biting finish Feb. 6.
The game began with Hartford up 10-0 in the first three minutes, but forward Amanda Deangelis and guard Jordan Moreau contributed to a 10-point comeback run to gain a lead on Hartford. Suffolk held on to this for the remainder of the first quarter, ending ahead 20-19.
In the second quarter, the Rams went on an early 8-0 run, forcing Hartford into a timeout. With Suffolk ahead 28-22, this break allowed Hartford to catch up and end the half tied at 32-32. The struggle carried over into the third quarter, as neither team could hold a lead for more than 45 seconds.
With a little over five minutes left in the third, Moreau made a jump shot to kick off another 8-0 run and force Hartford into a timeout. This proved useful as Hartford was able to climb back and end the third trailing at 48-51.
The final quarter began with more back-and-forth action, but with three minutes left in the game, Suffolk hit an 8-1 run to go up 70-60, securing the game for the Rams.
On the rebound that occurred in the fourth quarter, head coach Ed Leyden spoke about how Endicott’s strategy forced them to change theirs.
“They’re a very physical team, they’re extremely well coached and they were really prepared, so we had to go to a kind of a plan B. The kids, in especially the second half, played really good defense, and we made a really good improvement as far as our shot selection. This is a tough group. Our team is pretty tough,” said Leyden.
Leyden also pointed out some key players, further emphasizing how being physical pushed the Rams to win the game.
“Jordan was super key, Amanda was tremendous and Aisling [Crowley] did the dirty work. Aisling was rebounding and defending and being physical and matching their physicality so I think those three stood out to me,” said Leyden.
The team won their seventh game in a row against Nichols Feb. 10 and looks to earn their eighth straight win Feb. 14 at the University of New England.
