BOSTON, MASS. – The Roger Williams women's basketball team defeated Suffolk 71-59 on Saturday afternoon, improving their conference mark to 10-2. Their 10-2 record is tied for second in the Conference of New England standings alongside Endicott, with both teams looking up at Western New England who sit atop at 11-1.
 
To begin the matchup the Hawks jumped out to a 7-0 lead before Suffolk responded with a run of their run, eventually taking over the lead at 14-12 with 2:30 in the first frame. Both teams would trade baskets, with a Chloe Richardson jumper bringing the Hawks to within two to close out the quarter. In the second quarter, Suffolk controlled the lead for the first 8:30 of the frame, until first year Sakoya Sweeney (Craftsbury, Vt.) knocked down a three pointer to tie it up and followed it up with two free throws to push the women in front by two. A Suffolk three pointer followed by a Richardson layup gave the Hawks a one-point lead heading into the break.
 
Out of the locker room it was all Hawks, as they would outscore the opponent by 11 across the two frames, 37-26. In the second half it was a balanced effort, with Sophia Coppola (Madison, Conn.), Chloe Richardson (Nowell, Mass.) , and Elizabeth Dufrane (Falls Church, Va.) scoring eight, seven and six respectfully. Lilli Clark (Willimantic, Conn.) would chip in six of her own, to go along with eight rebounds in the half.
 
In the win, Roger Williams dominated the turnover margin 17-7. They would shoot 36% from the field and 37.5% from three compared to the opponents 34% shooting from the field and 49% shooting from long distance. The Hawks would shoot 13-17 from the free throw line compared to the Ram's 8-10 shooting.
 
Individually, Roger Williams was led by Chloe Richardson in the scoring department, who tied for a game-high with 17 points. Elizabeth Dufrane and Sophia Coppola would also reach the double-digit mark, adding 11 and 10 respectfully. Lilli Clark ripped down a game-high 10 rebounds in the win as well. For the Rams, Amanda DeAngelis led the way with 17 points followed by Colby Guita with 14 of her own.
 
Roger Williams will be back in action on Wednesday, February 5^th where they will look for a share of first place vs. Western New England.