Women's Basketball's Winning Streak Snapped in 79-62 Setback at Assumption

Kara Charette logs 12 points and six rebounds for the Ravens

WORCESTER, Mass. (January 23, 2013) -- The Franklin Pierce University women's basketball team had its six-game winning streak snapped on Wednesday night as a strong offensive attack propelled Assumption to a 79-62 win at Laska Gymnasium in Worcester, Mass. The Ravens fell to 11-5 overall and 8-4 in the Northeast-10, while the Greyhounds, who were receiving honorable-mention votes in this week's WBCA Division II Top-25 poll, improved to 12-4 and 9-3 in league play.

Three Ravens scored in double-figures, led by senior forward Amanda Saab's (Windham, N.H.) 13 points. Freshman forward Kara Charette (Fairhaven, Mass.), the two-time reigning NE-10 rookie of the week, netted 12 points, while senior guard Tiffany Johnson (St. Albans, Vt.) added 11.

Gabrielle Gibson keyed a hot-shooting Assumption squad as she pumped in a game-high 24 points, including going 4-for-5 from three-point range. The Greyhounds as a team shot 51 percent (29-of-57) from the floor, including a 53-percent clip (9-of-17) from three-point range.

What looked like a close game in the early minutes turned into a large lead for Assumption late in the first half as it used a 10-0 run to snap a 22-all tie. Gibson sparked the run as she scored eight points on a pair of free throws, a three-point play and a three-pointer from the right wing. The Greyhounds scored 12 of the stanza's final 15 points to take a 34-25 lead into the locker room at halftime.

The momentum from that surge carried over into the second half as the Greyhounds never let the Ravens get back in it. Franklin Pierce was only able to cut the deficit to single digits on two occasions, while Assumption stretched its lead out to as many as 24 points in cruising in for the victory. Assumption shot 59 percent from the field in the second 20 minutes.

Katy Howard added 15 points for the Greyhounds, while Jamie Insel ripped down a game-best 10 rebounds.

Despite their struggles defensively, the Ravens had a solid night shooting the basketball as they converted on 42 percent of their attempts (22-of-52), while knocking down 46 percent of their three-point attempts. Franklin Pierce, however, lost the advantage on the boards by a 35-30 margin and committed 16 turnovers.

Charette scored in double-figures for the ninth-straight game, while Saab notched double digits for the first time since a 19-point output in a 99-76 win over UMass-Lowell back on Dec. 8. Saab was playing in just her third game back since missing five straight due to an injury. Johnson had three assists and two steals to go along with her point total.

Franklin Pierce returns to action Saturday when the Ravens play host to Pace at 1:30 p.m. in The Fieldhouse in Rindge. The game will be a part of Rocky the Raven Kid's Day, which will feature games and prizes for children in attendance. All kids eighth grade and younger will be admitted free to both games if accompanied by a paying adult.

For more information on Franklin Pierce women's basketball, please visit the team's page at athletics.franklinpierce.edu(.) To follow the program even further, please visit Franklin Pierce Athletics on YouTube (www.youtube.com/FranklinPierceSports), Twitter (www.twitter.com/FPUathletics) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens). Fans wishing to purchase women's basketball apparel can do so on the athletic department's online store at athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store(.)