Brickley becomes 12th student-athlete in program history to reach 1,000 points

BRICKLEY'S 1,000TH POINT BASKET |

NORTON, Mass. – Wheaton College junior forward Abbie Brickley (Sandy, Utah/Skyline) became the 12th student-athlete in program history to join the 1,000-point club on Wednesday night as she buried a layup from the right block just 12-seconds into the contest. The Lyons, seeded third in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Tournament, went on to lose to the sixth-seeded Framingham State University Rams, 82-69, ending their season at 20-8 overall.

With the win, Framingham State (18-11) will take on second-seeded Endicott College (21-7) in the semifinal round of the tournament on Saturday, March 8 at a time and place to be determined later. The Rams also picked up their first-ever victory in the all-time series against the Lyons which dates back to the 1975-96 season. Wheaton holds a 7-1 edge in the matchup and won the last contest between the two squads prior to tonight by a score of 66-56 on November 20, 1998.

Brickley, who needed just one point to reach 1,000 for her career, received a bounce pass from junior guard Laura Pierce (Hampstead, N.H./Pinkerton Academy) on the right block, backed down her defender and buried a shot off the top right corner of the window with her right hand to achieve the milestone. In just three seasons at Wheaton, Brickley has averaged 13.1 points per game, 6.8 rebounds (530 total), a .474 field goal percentage (397-for-838) and a .794 free throw percentage (216-for-272). Brickley also has compiled 108 steals, 106 assists and 38 blocks in 78 career games (75 starts).

Framingham State senior guard Kristen Hoffman (Foxboro, Mass./Foxboro) led all scorers with 20 points including a red-hot hand from downtown which included five made three-pointers. Hoffman also chipped at the other end with a game-high five steals to go along with three assists, two rebounds and a block. Freshman center Alycia Rackliffe (Feeding Hills, Mass./Agawam) notched a double-double with 15 points, ten rebounds, three blocks, three assists and two swipes. Classmate Sarah Palace (Auburn, Mass./Auburn) tallied 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the floor and junior guard Margo McCarthy (Southampton, Mass./Hampshire) contributed nine points, a team-high seven assists and four rebounds.

Brickley finished with a team-high 19 points on 8-for-17 shooting, seven boards, two assists and a pair of steals. Sophomore forward Kiley Shoemaker (Fayetteville, N.Y./Fayetteville-Manlius) posted her team-leading 15th double-double of the season on 17 points, 12 rebounds, two assists and one block. Shoemaker will enter the 2014-15 season two blocks shy of surpassing Jenny Champney '10 on the all-time career list as Champney rejected 148 shots from 2006-10 in a Wheaton uniform.

Junior guard Kirsten Ferrari (Lynn, Mass./St. Mary's) had eight points, a career-high eight helpers, four rebounds and two steals. Pierce ended the night with two points, six assists and a steal, while sophomore guard Rebecca Arnone (Litchfield, N.H./Campbell) registered six points and nine boards.

After Brickley scored her 1,000th point, the Rams produced a 20-9 run capped by a jumper from sophomore forward Kerry Coyne (North Attleboro, Mass./North Attleboro). The Lyons responded with seven unanswered points as Arnone swished a three-pointer at 14:09 and a jump shot at the 13:40 mark. Ferrari closed out the spurt with a fast break layup with 12:32 remaining in the half.

Both teams exchanged baskets over the next 5:54 before Wheaton took its second lead of the game on a trey from Ferrari for a 28-27 advantage. Iafolla countered with a three-pointer of her own at the 6:12 mark, but the Lyons answered with an 11-5 run to end the half and take a 39-35 lead into break.

Framingham State's got off to a fast start in the second stanza as Palace nailed a jumper, while Hoffman canned back-to-back three-pointers to push the Rams ahead 43-30 at the 17:39 mark. Wheaton brought the contest within a two-possession game with 7:29 left to play, however, Framingham State held off any potential rally leading by as many as 16 points with 2:28 remaining.

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