Caitlin Hopkins logs double-figures for first time this season with 10 points

RINDGE, N.H. (February 23, 2013) – The Franklin Pierce University women’s basketball team topped the century mark for the first time this season as the Ravens downed the UMass-Lowell River Hawks, 101-86, on Saturday afternoon at the Costello Athletic Center in Lowell, Mass. The Ravens improved to 17-8 overall and 14-7 in the Northeast-10, while Lowell fell to 18-7 and 15-6 in league play. 

Four Ravens scored in double-figures, including junior guard Brittany Martelle (Brookfield, Conn.), who continued her torrid offensive pace as she netted a career-high 26 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field (including a trio of three-pointers). It marked the fifth-consecutive game and the sixth time in the last seven contests she has dropped double-figures coming off the bench, including going over 20 points three times.

Senior guard Tiffany Johnson (St. Albans, Vt.) wasn’t far behind as she rained in 20 points, while also grabbing eight rebounds, swiping two steals and collecting an assist. Classmate Amanda Saab (Windham, N.H.) narrowly missed a double-double of her own as she poured in 15 points and grabbed nine boards.

The other offensive spark off the bench for the Ravens was junior forward Caitlin Hopkins (Holtsville, N.Y.), who netted 10 points to log her first career double-digit scoring game in a Franklin Pierce uniform.

Eight of the nine Ravens that played in the game scored, as all eight of the scorers netted at least seven points. Franklin Pierce shot a strong 49 percent (32-of-65) from the field, including a solid 39 percent (7-of-18) from three-point range.

Lowell had three of its players log double-figures, including Ashley Rivera pumping in a game-high 27 off the bench. Bianca Simmons, one of the top scorers in all of women’s college basketball, scored 20 points, but was just 7-of-27 from the floor. She dished out seven assists while grabbing nine rebounds. Danielle DePierro rounded out the double-digit attack with 12 points.

In what proved to be a wild game the entire afternoon, the Ravens found themselves trailing 57-52 with 12:30 remaining following a three-pointer from Lowell’s Erika Sjoberg.

The game had seen six ties and nine lead changes to that point so the Ravens knew they were very much alive in the contest. Johnson made sure of it by scoring five-consecutive points on a three-point play and a layup to knot the score. Dyamond Gardner (Cambridge, Mass.) buried a three on Franklin Pierce’s next possession and Hopkins followed with a layup moments later to put the Ravens back on top at 62-60.

Neither team could pull away for the next several possessions as they would either swap the lead or tie it with a basket. DePierro’s trey at the 8:43 mark put the River Hawks back up at 67-66.

It was Franklin Pierce’s turn to answer and it would, this time putting together a run that ultimately staked them to the win. The Ravens responded to DePierro’s three with a 7-0 run, keyed by back-to-back baskets from Hopkins and Martelle and capped with a long three-ball from junior guard Brooke Coderre (Woonsocket, R.I.).

Hopkins and Coderre each took turns converting a pair of foul shots moments later and Martelle bombed in a long range three – her second in a 70-second span – with 5:30 left to put the Ravens up by double-figures at 83-71.

Lowell tried to make a rally and pulled to within four at 88-84 with 2:50 to go, but Martelle responded with six points, mixed around some other baskets from her teammates, to extend Franklin Pierce’s back out to double-digits as it cruised in for the win.

In addition to the four double-figure scorers, the Ravens got solid offensive contributions from Coderre and Gardner, who had eight points apiece. Kara Charette (Fairhaven, Mass.) and Kate McDonald (Fall River, Mass.) added seven points each.

Franklin Pierce held a 51-48 advantage on the glass as five Ravens had five rebounds or more. The Ravens limited UMass-Lowell to just 35 percent shooting and forced them into 19 turnovers.

Franklin Pierce raced out of the gates by scoring nine of the game’s first 11 points three minutes in. The River Hawks didn’t fold and ultimately knotted the score at 25-all with 6:30 to go until halftime and the game would play out in that rhythm the rest of the afternoon.

The Ravens completed the two-game regular season sweep of the River Hawks. Prior to Saturday’s 101-point output, the Ravens’ next highest total on the season was a 99-point performance in a victory over Lowell back on Dec. 8 in Rindge.

The Ravens return to action Tuesday when they close out the regular season by traveling to take on Merrimack at 5:30 p.m. in North Andover, Mass.

For more information on Franklin Pierce women’s basketball, please visit the team’s page at athletics.franklinpierce.edu(.) To follow the programs 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 Franklin Pierce women’s basketball apparel can do so on the athletic department’s online store at athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store(.)