Kate McDonald goes for 9 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals

RINDGE, N.H. (February 6, 2013) – The Franklin Pierce University women’s basketball team got an all-around impressive performance from its starting five and primary reserves to pick up a huge 72-50 upset win over No. 14 nationally ranked Stonehill on Wednesday night at The Fieldhouse in Rindge. The Ravens improved to 14-6 overall and 11-5 in the Northeast-10, while the Skyhawks dipped to 17-3 and 13-3 in league play.

Senior guard Brooke Long (Richmond, Va.) came off the bench and continued her strong play as of late by going 4-of-5 from the field – including a perfect 3-for-3 from three-point range – and scoring a team-best 15 points. She scored 12 of those points in the second half to keep Stonehill at bay and not allowing the Skyhawks to make a serious threat at pulling off a comeback.

Freshman forward Kara Charette (Fairhaven, Mass.) followed with 14 points and four rebounds, while junior guard Kate McDonald (Fall River, Mass.) had an all-around terrific game with nine points, eight rebounds, five assists and three steals in a team-high 36 minutes of action. 

Each of Franklin Pierce’s five starters and four primary reserves scored at least four points in the game to key the multi-faceted attack.

Mary Louise Dixon paced Stonehill with 16 points, while Jamie Panton netted 10. The Skyhawks struggled shooting the basketball, connecting on just 16 made field goals and a 34 percent shooting clip (16-of-47). Stonehill struggled taking care of the basketball as the Ravens forced the Skyhawks into 19 turnovers and scoring 19 points off of those.

Stonehill got out of the gates solid and built a 16-10 lead midway through the first half, but their struggles soon emerged after that and the Ravens used it to their advantage.

Junior guard Brittany Martelle (Brookfield, Conn.) and senior forward Amanda Saab (Windham, N.H.) rained in back-to-back treys to kick-start a 16-0 surge by Franklin Pierce to build a 26-16. Martelle scored all eight of her points during the rally, while Long capped it with a long three-ball.

The Ravens forced Stonehill into a trio of turnovers during the run and also limited the Skyhawks to several other possessions of one-and-done shot attempts with no offensive rebounds.

Saab dropped in another three later in the half and Charette scored the final four points of the stanza on a pair of free throws and a layup to stake Franklin Pierce to a 37-22 lead at halftime. 

That run proved to be the difference in the game as Stonehill could never threaten much in the second half, as the Ravens held a double-digit lead the entire second 20 minutes.

Junior guard Brooke Coderre (Woonsocket, R.I.) and senior guard Tiffany Johnson (St. Albans, Vt.) hit back-to-back baskets in the opening 90 seconds to extend Franklin Pierce’s lead to 19.

Tori Faieta tried to help the Skyhawks get back into it as her layup at the 10:12 mark trimmed Franklin Pierce’s lead to 11 at 47-36. The Ravens, though, slammed the door shut by going back up by 15 moments later thanks to a jumper and a pair of free throws from Long.

Franklin Pierce kept the margin around the 13-to-17 point range the remainder of the game to seal the win, which is the biggest triumph of the season for first-year head coach Jennifer Leedham. The win also avenged Franklin Pierce’s 70-47 setback at the hands of the Skyhawks back on Nov. 20 in Easton, Mass. 

While Stonehill did not take care of the basketball, the Ravens did a good job of limiting their mistakes by committing just 11 turnovers. Franklin Pierce also held a 41-32 advantage on the glass, including limiting the Skyhawks to just five offensive rebounds for the game.

Franklin Pierce returns to action Saturday when the Ravens travel to Colchester, Vt. to take on Saint Michael’s at 1:30 p.m. It will be a rematch of this season’s earlier matchup which saw the Ravens pick up a narrow 75-72 win over the Purple Knights on Jan. 6 in Rindge.

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(.)