Suffolk University men’s basketball couldn’t overcome the three-point shooting of Western New England University, losing 77-58 in the Conference of New England semifinals and ending their pursuit of a third consecutive conference title appearance.
Suffolk started off hot from the three-point line, with Nick Verdile hitting back-to-back threes to give the Rams a four-point lead. Verdile was the leading scorer for Suffolk, finishing the game with 20 points and two assists.
The Rams shot the ball well from beyond the three-point line as a team, shooting 10-for-30. The problem for Suffolk came in the paint, where they were outscored 34-16.
This early hot streak would be the highlight of the night for Suffolk offensively, as they couldn’t get much going on that side of the ball. On the other side WNE was very effective on offense, with Luka Vlajkovic getting in on the scoring early for the Golden Bears and finishing the game with 19 points. WNE went into the break with a 10-point lead.
The Rams were good on the defensive end of the floor, forcing 14 turnovers. Eight of those turnovers came off steals from freshman James Jones. Jones also added 12 points and seven rebounds as he stuffed the stat sheet in the loss.
After a good start to the second half, WNE was able to push the lead all the way to 19 points. The Rams were able to cut the lead back down to ten with about 8 minutes to go, however their chances for a comeback win were extinguished by Matt Houde. Houde led WNE in scoring with 20 points, knocking down 16 of those points in the second half.
Freshman Avery Mickens scored 14 points in the win while shooting three-for-five from deep. WNE won with a balanced attack, as they had four players scoring in double figures.
This was the end of a very promising season for the Rams. After a heartbreaking loss in the conference championship for the second year in a row, the Rams had to replace four of five starters. Three freshmen started a game for Suffolk at some point this season, all three started more than ten games.
The Rams impressive season comes to an end. The Rams finished top 20 in the country in points allowed and will be returning all but one starter. The Rams will look to next season with a bright future.
