Women's Basketball Hangs on For 61-53 Win over Saint Michael's

Brooke Coderre blocks career-high six shots for the Ravens

RINDGE, N.H. (February 6, 2014) -- Junior forward Jessica Hurd (Kegworth, England) logged a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds to help spark a second half come-from-behind rally Thursday night, but the Franklin Pierce University women's basketball team needed to hit some crucial free throws late to hang on for a 61-53 win over Saint Michael's at The Fieldhouse in Rindge.

The Ravens won for the eighth time in the last 10 games in improving to 12-8 overall and 9-6 in the Northeast-10, while the Purple Knights fell for the eighth-consecutive time in dropping to 3-16 and 2-13 in league play.

Hurd had 11 points in the final 20 minutes, and joining her in the second-half comeback was senior guard Brittany Martelle (Brookfield, Conn.), who netted 15 of her game-high 21 points in the stanza.

Both players helped spark a 15-0 run to help Franklin Pierce overcome a 36-32 deficit with 17:00 remaining in the game. Martelle's two free throws and Hurd's long bomb from the top of the key kick-started the run. Martelle followed with eight-straight points on a layup and back-to-back triples, and Hurd laid in a basket with 10:08 to go to give the Ravens a 47-36 advantage.

Franklin Pierce was 4-of-6 from the field during the run, and forced the Purple Knights into five turnovers. 

The momentum looked to be all Ravens, but Saint Michael's slowly chipped away at the 11-point deficit, eventually getting it to 52-50 with 4:18 left after an Alexa Long layup.

Sophomore guard Dyamond Gardner (Cambridge, Mass.) stemmed St. Mike's tide with a basket, and Martelle knocked down five critical foul shots in the final minute to help keep the Purple Knights at bay. Gardner hit two free throws herself in the waning seconds to seal it for the Ravens.

The Ravens shot 37 percent from the field, while Saint Michael's went at a 40-percent pace. Four Purple Knights scored in double-figures, including Makenzie Burud and Megan Gaudreau with 12 points each. Maggie Sabine went for 11 points, while Indira Evora chipped in 10.

Gaudreau's back-to-back three's two minutes into the contest staked St. Mike's to an early 10-3 lead, and the Ravens had to play catch up from there. They were able to and a three from Martelle, and a steal and layup from Gardner on back-to-back possessions put Franklin Pierce up 15-12 midway through the period.

The teams traded baskets and Gaudreau rained in a deep three with 2:48 left until halftime to knot it up at 26-all. However, neither team could score the remainder of the half with the tie holding up heading into halftime.

The Ravens blocked seven shots on the night, including getting a career-high six from senior guard Brooke Coderre (Woonsocket, R.I.), who had a solid all-around game with three assists, three rebounds, and a steal to go along with her swats.

Hurd's 15 points came on an impressive 6-of-9 shooting from the floor, and Martelle's game-high total came on a night when she was honored prior to the game for scoring her 1,000th career point in last week's win over Adelphi.

Franklin Pierce returns to action Saturday when the Ravens play host to Assumption 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(.) Fans wishing to follow the program even further can 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(.)