Amanda Saab pulls down career-high 14 rebounds

LOWELL, Mass. (March 3, 2013) -- The Franklin Pierce University women's basketball team kept its NCAA Division II Tournament hopes alive on Sunday afternoon as the fifth-seeded Ravens picked up an important 84-69 win over fourth-seeded UMass-Lowell in the quarterfinals of the 2013 Northeast-10 Conference Championship at the Costello Athletic Center in Lowell, Mass. The Ravens, who advanced to the semifinals on Thursday when they will take on top-seeded Bentley, improved to 18-9, while the River Hawks dipped to 18-9.

Senior guard Tiffany Johnson (St. Albans, Vt.), who on Friday was named the NE-10 Defensive Player of the Year, led five Ravens who scored in double-figures as she dumped in 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the floor. Johnson also logged a double-double as she pulled down 10 rebounds, while also dishing out five assists and swiping a pair of steals.

Junior guard Brittany Martelle (Brookfield, Conn.) came off the bench to go 6-of-10 from the field and score 15 points, while classmate Brooke Coderre (Woonsocket, R.I.) followed with 14 points (5-of-7 shooting) and eight boards. Junior guard Kate McDonald (Fall River, Mass.) knocked down a trio of three-pointers and netted 11 points.

Freshman forward Kara Charette (Fairhaven, Mass.) rounded out the double-digit scorers for the Ravens with 10 points in her first collegiate post-season game. Senior forward Amanda Saab (Windham, N.H.) didn't tally double-figures in scoring, but was  just as impressive in the win as she ripped down 14 rebounds and handed out six helpers.

With five Ravens scoring in double-figures, Franklin Pierce shot an impressive 49 percent (32-of-66) from the floor, including a solid 44 percent (11-of-25) from three-point range. 

Franklin Pierce wasn't about to allow the River Hawks to be just as effective offensively and limited to Lowell to just 31 percent shoot and a seven-percent clip (2-of-28) from beyond the arc.

Lowell was led by Bianca Simmons, who dumped in a game-high 28 points. However, the NE-10 player of the year was just 11-of-30 shooting. Whitney Wilson came off the bench to log a double-double for the River Hawks with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

The win enabled the Ravens to complete a three-game season sweep of UMass-Lowell, including a pair on the River Hawks' home floor within the past eight days. Sunday's game also marked the last time the two schools would face each other as Division II opponents, as the River Hawks will transition to Division I following the conclusion of the school year.

The game was close throughout the opening stages and Lowell eventually took a slim 16-14 lead with 12:50 remaining until halftime following a layup from Wilson.

The Ravens, though, countered and scored 14 of the next 16 points to open up a double-figure lead with 6:52 left in the half. Coderre and Johnson knocked down back-to-back jumpers to spark the run, senior guard Brooke Long (Richmond, Va.) aided it with consecutive three's, and Martelle capped it with a pair of buckets.

Franklin Pierce led by as many 16 in the closing stages of the stanza before taking a 42-32 lead into the intermission.

Lowell did not fold and made it a game early in the second half. The River Hawks outscored Franklin Pierce, 9-5, in the opening three-and-a-half minutes to pull within five at 46-41.

The Ravens couldn't shake loose of Lowell for the next several minutes, but finally started to take control with a 12-4 run over a four minute span midway through the stanza to open up a 65-51 advantage. McDonald, Long and Johnson each drained a three-ball to key the surge.

UMass-Lowell never got closer than nine points the rest of the way, while the Ravens held as large a lead as 19 late before closing out the River Hawks' season.

Franklin Pierce's NE-10 semifinal contest at top-seeded and two-time reigning conference champion Bentley will tip off on Thursday night at 7 p.m. in the Dana Center in Waltham, Mass. 

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 Franklin Pierce women's basketball apparel can do so on the athletic department's online store at athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store(.)