Women's Basketball Falls 80-52 at #2 Bentley

Tiffany Johnson goes for 10 points and six rebounds for the Ravens

WALTHAM, Mass. (December 4, 2012) -- The Franklin Pierce University women's basketball team could not overcome a slow first half start on Tuesday night and dropped an 80-52 decision to No. 2 nationally ranked Bentley at the Dana Center in Waltham, Mass. The Ravens had their two-game winning streak snapped in falling to 4-3 overall and 2-3 in the Northeast-10, while Bentley improved to 6-0 and 5-0 in league play.

Seniors Amanda Saab (Windham, N.H.) and Tiffany Johnson (St. Albans, Vt.) tossed in 10 points apiece to lead the Ravens, while junior guard Kate McDonald (Fall River, Mass.) chipped in with nine points.

Lauren Battista pumped in a game-high 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting to pace the Bentley attack and Jacqui Brugliera followed with a double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds. Jane White netted 14 points to round out the double-figure scorers for the Falcons.

Bentley opened the game strong by scoring the first eight points, thanks in part to six points from Battista.

The Ravens, though, countered by scoring nine of the next 14 points to pull within four at 13-9 with 13:29 left in the half. Saab scored five of the points on a layup and three-pointer, while Johnson and Caitlin Hopkins (Holtsville, N.Y.) dropped in a basket each. 

The momentum was short-lived, though, as the Falcons regrouped and scored six-consecutive points, sparked by a Battista layup and capped with a Brugliera basket, to open up a 10-point advantage. Bentley continued to add to its lead throughout the remaining minutes of the first hald and led by as many as 24 points in two instances in building a 50-29 lead at halftime.

Battista and Brugliera pumped in 12 and nine points, respectively, in the opening 20 minutes for Bentley, while Saab led all Raven scorers with seven points.

Both teams shot well from the floor in the half as Bentley connected on 63 percent of its attempts (19-of-30), while the Ravens shot a solid 46 percent (11-of-24). However, the Falcons were able to get more high-percentage looks at the basket and owned a 22-14 advantage in the paint and scored 17 points off 10 Franklin Pierce turnovers.

The Ravens picked up their intensity in the opening stages of the second half -- both offensively and defensively -- and opened the frame on an 11-4 run to pull within 14 at 54-40. Franklin Pierce was able to force Bentley in a trio of turnovers during the run and scored on the ensuing possession each time, including getting five points from McDonald.

However, the Falcons countered with eight-straight points, highlighted by a triple from White and capped with five-straight points from Brugliera, to open a 62-40 lead with 12:33 remaining. Bentley never looked back in sealing the victory, which was its sixth in a row over the Ravens.

Franklin Pierce returns to action Saturday when the Ravens play host to UMass-Lowell at 1:30 p.m. in The Fieldhouse 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(.)