Women’s Basketball Flies Past Albertus Magnus, 71-56

Framingham, Mass. – Freshman Alycia Rackliffe (Feeding Hills, Mass.) recorded a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds in her first appearance in a Framingham State University women's basketball uniform as the Rams flew past Albertus Magnus 71-56 in a non-conference matchup on Monday night at Framingham's Athletic Center. The Rams improved to 6-5 and halted a two-game skid while the Falcons slipped to 3-9 on the year.

Racklife, the 2013 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Women's Volleyball Rookie of the Year, was joined in double-digit scoring by senior Kristen Hoffman (Foxboro, Mass.) and junior Nicole Bostic (Easton, Mass.) with 17 points and 14 points, respectively. Hoffman narrowly missed a double-double with nine boards while amassing a game-high five steals for the hosts.

Senior Lianna Carrero (Hamden, Conn.) moved past Liz Lacroix '95 into second place on the Falcons all-time scoring list with 20 points on the night for a total of 1,567, nine shy of tying Natalia Perlaza '05 for the top spot. Junior Annie Sutila (Bridgeport, Conn.) chipped in with 12 points and senior Annie Raucci (Milford, Conn.) added 11 to go along with a team-best eight caroms.

Framingham State never trailed and took its largest lead in the first half following a pair of free throws by Rackliffe for the 27-15 advantage. Carrero hit a jumper at 6:22 to spark a 13-3 run to cut the Falcons deficit down to a pair with 2:41 left in the frame. The Rams then went on a 7-1 run to close out the half with an eight point margin in their favor.

The hosts began to pull away after the break and held an 18-point cushion midway through the final stanza. Carrero then scored five of Albertus Magnus' seven points as the Falcons clawed back to within 11 following her three-point play at 7:53 and again with a jumper nearly two minutes later. Framingham State edged the guests 9-8 in the final six minutes to secure the 71-56 decision.

The Rams outscored Albertus Magnus 26-12 in the paint, 19-6 off turnovers and 15-10 in bench points while the Falcons scored 17 of the game's 28 second chance points.

Framingham State opens its 2013-14 MASCAC slate on Thursday with a trip to Westfield State. Tipoff is slated for 5:30 p.m. The Falcons, meanwhile, head to Farmingdale State on Wednesday for a 6:00 p.m. non-conference contest.