Women's Basketball Rallies for 82-77 Win Over Salem State
Salem, Mass. — Senior guard Kristen Hoffman (Foxboro, Mass.) scored a team-high 21 points as Framingham State University women's basketball team defeated the Vikings of Salem State 82-77 in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference game this afternoon at the O'Keefe Center.
Framingham State improves to 13-10 on the year and 7-4 in MASCAC play, while the Vikings drop to 10-13 overall and 5-5 in the conference.
Salem State's defense was the key to their first half success as they forced four early turnovers off their full-court press and jumped out to a 16-8 lead. Rams freshmen center Alycia Rackliffe (Feeding Hills, Mass.) tallied 10 points in the first eight minutes of play to keep Framingham State within reach.
Rachael Carter (Merrimack, NH) gave the Vikings a 23-14 lead after finishing a tough three-point play with 12 minutes remaining in the first half. The Rams countered with a three-pointer from Margo McCarthy (Southampton, Mass.) cut the deficit to six and spark a Framingham State surge to close the half. The Rams closed out the frame on a 9-2 run tying the game at 40-40, but Viking guard Rachel Ledbetter (Dracut, Mass.) beat the buzzer with a long three that gave Salem State a 43-40 at the half.
The high scoring continued in the second half as the Rams opened up with a 7-0 run to take their first lead of the night 47-43. Back-to-back three's from Salem State's Lara Bruni (Gloucester, Mass.) and Ashley White (Salem, Mass.) tied the game at 54-54 with 13:33 remaining.
Another White three-pointer helped the Vikings regain the lead with 11:22 left to play. After trading baskets, a three-point basket by Framingham freshman Sarah Palace (Auburn, Mass.) and back-to-back mid-range jumpers from McCarthy, gave the Ram a 73-68 lead late in the half.
A Ginny Fleming (Peabody, Mass.) layup cut the deficit to just one with 1:27 left. An altercation between Ledbetter and Palace ended with technical fouls assessed to both and put Palace at the free throw line with a chance to ice the game. After knocking down both free throws Framingham State was able to close out Salem State 82-77.
Palace finished with 18 points and nine rebounds, while McCarthy added 16 points with four rebounds for the Rams. Carter led the Vikings with a double-double effort of 19 points and 10 rebounds. White added 15 points and four assists while Fleming finished with 14 points and six rebounds.
The Vikings will return to action when they host the Bears of Bridgewater State University on Tuesday, February 18th at 5:30 p.m. in their last home game of the regular season. Framingham State will host the Fisher College on Wednesday, February 19th at 6 p.m.
Release courtesy of SSU Sports Information.