The Lyons got off to a slow start after committing five turnovers through the first 3:33, as Suffolk jumped out to a 10-2 advantage with 16:20 on the clock. Eight straight Wheaton points knotted the score at 10, and following an exchange of baskets, a jumper by freshman Bri Smith (Westford, MA/Westford Academy) gave the Lyons their first lead of the game. Following the fifth tie of the game at 18-18 with 8:47 remaining, the Rams outscored Wheaton, 14-5 the rest of the half and carried a 32-23 lead into the break.
Suffolk held its lead through the majority of the second half, including holding a 42-34 cushion with 12:45 to go. The Blue and White began to chip away at its deficit, as freshman Krystin Hickey (Manchester, NH/New Hampton School) posted three straight points, junior Casey Sorbara (Port Chester, NY/Trinity Catholic) drained a jumper and classmate Kim McCormack (Milton, MA/Milton) hit a free throw to make the score 42-40. The hosts hung tough and maintained their edge up until the 3:04 mark, when sophomore Becky Aitchison (Norwalk, CT/Trinity Catholic) sunk a free throw to tie the game at 47.
Sorbara gave the Lyons their first lead since midway through the first half with a two-point basket at 2:27, and following a jumper by Ram freshman Kerry Bowman (Guilford, CT/Guilford) for the game's seventh and final tie with just over two minutes to play, Wheaton first-year Jennie Pleat (Nashua, NH/Nashua South) hit the back end of a two-shot foul to give the visitors a 50-49 edge and a lead they would not relinquish. Suffolk turned the ball over on its next possession, one of 34 giveaways on the night, and missed what would have been the go-ahead basket with 10 ticks on the clock. Forced to foul, the Rams watched Aitchison hit a pair of clutch foul shots to complete the game's scoring.
In the second half alone, Wheaton held a 12-2 advantage in second-chance points and a 12-6 edge in points off turnovers. The Lyons outrebounded the Rams, 42-39 in addition to being credited with 19 steals, their second-highest output of the season. Aitchison recorded her third double-double performance of the season with a game-high tying 12 points, a game-best 11 boards and four steals, while Hickey rounded out Wheaton's double-figure scorers with 11 points on 5-of-10 shooting to go along with eight rebounds. Pleat added seven points and six rebounds, and Sorbara finished with a game-high seven steals and six points.
Junior Jenn Fogg (Stonington, CT/Stonington) was one of two Suffolk players to record 12 points in addition to pulling down a team-best 10 rebounds. Classmate Sarah Gregory (Fall River, MA/Durfee) also had 12 points on 6-of-11 shooting, while Bowman added 11 points in the loss.
Wheaton will look to make it two straight wins Saturday afternoon, when the Lyons welcome Mount Holyoke College to Emerson Gymnasium for a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) game at 2:00 p.m.
Newspaper Box Score Wheaton College vs Suffolk University 1/12/06 7:00 p.m. at Boston, Mass. At Boston, Mass. WHEATON COLLEGE 52, SUFFOLK UNIVERSITY 49 WHEATON COLLEGE (6-6) Becky Aitchison 4-14 3-4 12; Krystin Hickey 5-10 1-2 11; Jennie Pleat 2-10 3-6 7; Casey Sorbara 3-10 0-0 6; Kim McCormack 2-5 2-3 6; Bri Smith 3-14 0-0 6; Lauren Gosline 1-2 0-0 2; Amy Johnson 1-2 0-0 2; Thayer Lawson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-67 9-15 52. SUFFOLK UNIVERSITY (5-5) Jenn Fogg 3-11 4-6 12; Sarah Gregory 6-11 0-0 12; Kerry Bowman 5-9 1-2 11; Lauren Burns 3-7 0-1 6; Katlyn Klecha 0-4 4-4 4; Gillian Brignac 1-5 0-0 2; Emily Duquette 1-1 0-0 2; Amanda Brown 0-0 0-0 0; Meghann Benesh 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 19-50 9-13 49. Wheaton College............... 23 29 - 52 Suffolk University............ 32 17 - 49 3-point goals-Wheaton College 1-11 (Becky Aitchison 1-3; Krystin Hickey 0-1; Jennie Pleat 0-1; Casey Sorbara 0-2; Bri Smith 0-3; Amy Johnson 0-1), Suffolk University 2-4 (Jenn Fogg 2-3; Lauren Burns 0-1). Fouled out--Wheaton College-Kim McCormack, Suffolk University-None. Rebounds-Wheaton College 42 (Becky Aitchison 11), Suffolk University 39 (Jenn Fogg 10). Assists-Wheaton College 8 (Kim McCormack 2), Suffolk University 10 (Katlyn Klecha 7). Total fouls-Wheaton College 15, Suffolk University 18. A-55