Cook, Salzillo shoot well in non-conference loss 

            BOSTON, Mass. – Freshmen Jalen Cook (Monkton, Vt.) and Alessia Salzillo (Saugus, Mass.) combined for 32 points on 11-of-18 shooting, but Plymouth State University was unable to recover from a slow first quarter in a 72-61 setback at Suffolk University in non-conference women's basketball action at Smith Court on Saturday.

            Cook came off the bench to score a team-high 17 points, including four three-pointers, while Salzillo added 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting, but the Rams outscored PSU by a 22-12 margin over the opening ten minutes. Though the two teams went neck-and-neck from there, the early deficit proved too large for the Panthers to overcome.

            Plymouth State drops to 3-2 on the year, while Suffolk improves to 3-2.

            The Basics:

            Plymouth State 61, Suffolk 72

            Plymouth State (3-2)

            Suffolk (3-2)

            How it Happened.

• PSU trailed by just five, 12-7, after 3:38 of action, but the Rams connected from beyond the arc twice to close the quarter with a 22-12 advantage.
• Senior Brittany Roche (Londonderry, N.H.) heated up from long range midway through the second quarter, knocking down a pair of triples to make it a 31-22 game.
• Senior Chenysse Hill (Lynn, Mass.) sank an interior bucket late in the quarter to make it 37-26 at the half.
• The teams traded baskets throughout the third quarter and Salzillo's layup cut the margin to eight, 45-37, but a 6-0 spurt in the final minute pushed the Rams' advantage to 51-37 at the end of three.
• A three-pointer gave the hosts their biggest lead of the night, 57-39, two minutes into the final quarter, but Plymouth State battled back. Freshman Skyler Crayton (Lynn, Mass.) sank a pair from the charity stripe and Cook drilled back-to-back threes to cut the margin to 57-47 with 6:13 remaining.
• Suffolk pushed the lead back to 15 with just over a minute to play, but Cook knocked down a pair of threes and was fouled behind the arc with ten seconds to go. The rookie drilled all three from the charity stripe to pull within 70-61, but Suffolk sank a free throw and pulled down an offensive rebound following a miss to secure the win.

            Inside the Numbers:

• Cook finished 5-of-10 from the field, including 4-of-5 from distance, and added seven rebounds, two assists and a steal to her 17 points.
• Salzillo went 6-of-8 from the floor and contributed three rebounds and three assists, while Crayton added six points and five boards.
• The Rams owned a 45-33 advantage on the glass and outscored the Panthers in the paint, 24-14, but the Plymouth State bench held a 31-23 advantage over its counterparts.

            Up Next:

• Plymouth State hosts Colby-Sawyer on Tuesday (Nov. 26) at 5:30 p.m.

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