Second Half Come Back Propels Women’s Basketball Past UMass Boston 73-68
Framingham, Mass. – The Framingham State University women's basketball team erased an 11 point half time deficit in the third quarter as they went on to a 73-68 victory over the University of Massachusetts Boston in non-conference action at the Athletic Center.
With the win, the Rams continue to build upon the best start in school history as they improve to 7-0 on the season. The Beacons slip to 3-4 on the year with the loss.
The Rams were paced by a double double effort from senior center Alycia Rackliffe (Feeding Hills, Mass.). Rackliffe tallied 15 points with 17 boards and established a new school record with nine blocks in the contest including a pair in the game's final 20 seconds. Junior Lauren Donahue (Attleboro, Mass.) chipped in with 14 points on 3-of-5 from behind the arc to go along with seven assists, while classmate Raegan Mulherin (Baldwinville, Mass.) added 13 points and four assists. Seniors Sarah Palace (Auburn, Mass.) and Monta Connolly (Lynn, Mass.) added 11 and 10 points respectively.
The Beacons were paced by a double double of 19 points and 13 rebounds from junior Raven Kelsey (Boston, Mass.). Junior Katie Mathieu (Coventry, Conn.) and senior Chantel Jordan (Brockton, Mass.) added 13 points apiece.
UMass Boston jumped out to 17-9 lead after a quarter and extended it as many as 12 on a Mathieu three with 2:30 remaining in the half before taking an 11 point lead into the locker room.
The Rams opened the third quarter with a 19-7 run to take a 48-47 lead on a Tiphani Harris (Revere, Mass.) bucket. It was the Rams first lead of the game since they led 2-0 in the opening minutes. Palace sparked the run with a pair of three pointers and a three point play.
UMass Boston countered with a mini spurt of their own to retake the lead, 51-50, on a Kelsey basket with 2:35 on the clock in the third. The Rams scored six points down the stretch in the third including four points from freshman Mary Kate O'Day (Berlin, Mass.) to retake the lead for good.
UMass Boston pulled within one on a Kelsey jumper a minute into the fourth, but the Rams rattled off a 5-0 spurt to take a 61-55 lead. The Beacons would close the gap to three on a Mathieu three with 51 seconds left, but a pair of Donahue free throws pushed the lead back to five with 40 seconds remaining. The Beacons had a pair of chances on the ensuing passion but Rackliffe came up with a pair of blocks.
The Rams are back in action Saturday afternoon when they travel to Anna Maria College at 1 p.m., while the Beacons travel to Keene State for a Little East contest beginning at 1 p.m.