By Matt Cook
Sports Editor
On Nov. 16, the women’s basketball team started their 2011-12 season, and have already received stellar contributions from rookie guard Nicole Bostic.
Bostic, a freshman, is second on the team in scoring. She averages 13 points per game. She also leads the team in blocks with 21. Her 10 steals are second on the team.
In her first game for Framingham, she scored 15 points from the bench on top of her two rebounds in a 69-57 loss to Coast Guard. Bostic had a team-high in points during that game, as she shot 7-for-10 from the field. Eleven of Bostic’s 15 came in the second half of regulation.
Forward Kia Minor, a junior, had 10 points with a team-best nine rebounds.
“We’re starting out pretty well, with a 2-2 record, and the two losses were ones we could have easily prevented,” Minor said. “They were both experiences that, as a team, we learned from and will move on and prevent the same mistakes from happening. But it’s early in the season, and we have a lot of potential, and I really think we can only continue to do better.”
The Rams led that game 35-34 with 15:06 remaining, but that was the last time they had the edge over Coast Guard.
In the second game of the season, Framingham competed in the 2011 UMass Boston Tip-Off Tournament. Bostic was already bumped up as a starter.
She scored eight points with six rebounds and four assists. Bostic played 21 minutes and the Rams defeated Staten Island, 51-48.
Framingham then went on to capture the title against host UMass Boston, 71-60. Bostic tallied 10 points in 28 minutes.
Guard Kristen Hoffman, a sophomore, tallied 24 points to help secure the championship for the Rams.
Starting for the third time in four games, Bostic put up 19 against Eastern Nazarene on Nov. 29 in a 44-43 buzzer-beater loss.
“We had a heartbreaking buzzer-beater loss by one point at Eastern Nazarene,” Hoffman said. “We bounced back with a nice team win against Suffolk Thursday night.”
On Thursday, the Rams escaped with a 48-44 win over Suffolk, who lost just their second game of the season to fall to 4-2. Framingham improved to 3-2, winning three of their last four games.
Suffolk began the contest utilizing a full-court defense. They also exhibited impressive outside shooting, ending the night on 4-of-9 from beyond the arc.
Substitutions were made frequently and in bunches in a game that featured a plethora of traveling violations from both ends.
With 4:30 remaining in the first half of regulation, Suffolk forward Mary Garon buried a three-pointer as the shot clock expired to give her team the 24-15 lead.
However, FSU bounced back, ending the first half on a 9-1 run to cut the deficit to a point. Suffolk led at the half, 25-24, after barely missing a shot at the buzzer. The ball dinged off the backboard.
After 20 minutes of play, Framingham had made no successful three-point shots.
Forward Michelle Hagerty, a freshman, led the team with six points at the half. Right behind her was forward Emily Clark, a senior, with five.
Surprisingly, Bostic was held to just two points.
Framingham’s largest lead was two points, and they shot 8-for-10 from the line. Guard Kristen Hoffman, a sophomore, contributed to that by shooting 75 percent of her free throws attempted.
In the second half, it took Suffolk until the 15:16 mark to score their first points that came in the form of a free throw.
With 14:00 remaining, Suffolk hit a three-pointer to reclaim the lead, 29-28.
FSU shooters struggled throughout the game, unable to find the backboard or rim and throwing a lot of air balls.
Suffolk’s defense was impressive in the paint, gobbling up a massive 31 rebounds.
With just under five minutes left in the game, Framingham’s offense came to life.
Hoffman hit the first three for the Rams at 4:58, and then she hit her second at the 3:30 mark to give Framingham the 43-39 lead. It was their largest of the night.
“Overall, we are improving every game as a team, and we are excited about what we can accomplish this season,” Hoffman said.
A costly shot clock violation for Framingham allowed Jacqueline Vienneau to sink a three-pointer. It cut FSU’s lead down to two.
The last 25 seconds of play featured Hagerty making two free throws and Hoffman finishing off Suffolk with two more to secure the 48-44 edge.
“We have had some minor injuries so far with key players out, but we are optimistic that when everyone is fully recovered, we can really solidify our game and consistently get in the win column,” said Hoffman.
The Rams travel to Lasell on Saturday for a 1:00 p.m. tipoff. After they play the Lasers, the Rams have a week off before they play Dec. 10 vs. Curry College at 1:00 p.m.
