By Simmons Athletics
The Simmons College women’s basketball team’s second half comeback fell short as it fell to visiting Suffolk University, 57-44, this afternoon in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference contest at Moore Gymnasium in Boston, Mass. The Sharks fall to 6-13 overall and 5-8 in league play, while the Rams have won four of their last five and improve to 17-7 overall, including 12-3 in league play, which marks a school-record for conference wins.
Simmons also honored its five seniors, Liz Brasa (East Hartford, Conn.), Kelsey Heavener (Stafford Springs, Conn.), Kimberlee Hixon (Taunton, Mass.), Ashley McAdams (Freeport, N.Y.) and Jamie Zoldy (Watertown, Conn.).
Suffolk was extremely effective in the blocks, outscoring Simmons, 38-12 in the paint and held the Sharks to just 23.1 percent (15-65) from the floor for the game.
Brasa and junior forward Presley Silva (Wilmington, Mass.) each scored a game-high 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead Simmons. Silva also came up with three steals and blocked a shot. McAdams contributed with eight rebounds, four points, an assist and a game-high five steals.
First year forward Katelyn Rourke (Watertown, Mass.) posted her second double-double of the season with 11 points and a career-high 15 rebounds to go with two assists and a pair of blocks to lead the Rams. First year guard Alexis Hacket (Charlton, Mass.) came off the bench to chip in with 10 points, eight rebounds, four steals, three assists and a blocked shot, while junior forward Caitlyn Caramello (Revere, Mass.) scored 10 points, pulled down four rebounds and handed out two assists in 22 minutes off the bench.
SC sophomore guard Francesca Corsinetti (Johnston, R.I.) drained a three-pointer with 1:48 to go in the third quarter to give the home team its biggest lead of the game at 34-32, but Suffolk closed out the half with the final nine points of the period to take a 41-34 advantage. The Sharks scored the first two points of the final quarter on a pair of free throws from Silva, but the Rams continued its momentum from the previous quarter with 12 unanswered points as part of a 21-2 run to take its biggest lead of the day at 53-36 with 3:25 left in the game. Hacket and Caramello each netted seven points during the stretch for Suffolk. Simmons was unable to recover and the Rams went home with a 57-44 win.
The Suffolk defense held the Sharks without a point through the first five-plus minutes of the opening quarter and without a field goal until Silva converted a layup with 26 seconds left in the period to cut the deficit to 12-4 for Simmons. The Rams netted the first seven points of the contest, before taking their 12-4 cushion into the second quarter.
Caramello made a layup 26 seconds into the second period to give the visitors a 14-4 advantage, but the Sharks scored the next five points, including a three-pointer from Zoldy to pull them to within 14-9 with 8:18 showing in the period. Suffolk later held a 21-13 margin with 2:49 left in the quarter, before Simmons ripped off six straight points to cut the margin to 21-19 with 73 seconds to go in the opening half. Sophomore forward Lauren Brandau (Madison, Conn.) scored on a putback at the buzzer for the Sharks to set the score at 24-21 in favor of the Rams at the intermission.
Senior guard Georgia Bourikas (Hull, Mass.) later scored on a layup to give Suffolk a 30-25 lead with 7:14 remaining in the third quarter, but Silva scored six unanswered points to give Simmons its first lead of the day at 31-30 with 3:36 to play in the period. Rourke ended the scoring drought for the Rams with a layup, but Corsinetti countered with her trifecta for the Sharks’ final lead of the afternoon at 34-32.
