RINDGE, N.H. (February 6, 2016) -- Low first-half scoring from the Franklin Pierce University women's basketball team allowed the Stonehill Skyhawks to gain an early advantage, and a second-half comeback sent the game into overtime, but Franklin Pierce ultimately fell in overtime, in a Northeast-10 match-up at the Fieldhouse on Saturday afternoon, 71-64.

The Ravens are now 11-10 overall and 8-8 in the conference, while the Skyhawks advance to 12-10 overall and 7-9 in the Northeast-10.

It was a low-scoring first quarter for the Ravens, and the scoring for either side did not begin until the 7:30 mark, when junior guard Kelly Martin hit a triple which would set the pace for Stonehill. Martin hit her second three-pointer two minutes later to open up an 8-0 Skyhawks lead and force the Ravens into a timeout. A third three-pointer from Martin with just over three minutes to go capped the Stonehill run at 11-0 to start the game.

Senior guard Dyamond Gardner (Cambridge, Mass.) put up the first Raven points of the quarter with a layup, with just under three minutes to go.

Martin got the ball and sank her fourth three of the night with just over a minute to go. Senior guard Natalie Bastian (Branford, Conn.) made a shot with 13 seconds to go, but sophomore guard Kate Ross hit a buzzer-beater layup to push Stonehill further ahead, 18-5, going into the second.

The first Raven points of the second came from a sophomore guard Jemma Thacker (Aldgate, Australia) steal and pass to junior guard Jasmyne Fogle (Bridgeport, Conn.), who sank a layup, cutting the gap to 20-7.

Martin hit her fifth triple of the afternoon with just under eight minutes left in the half. The Ravens found themselves at a 20-point deficit once the Skyhawks put away a pair of free throws to move the lead to 27-7.

Fogle again cut into the deficit, with another layup at the five-minute mark, and Gardner added a layup as well to make it 28-15.

With just under two minutes to go in the half, Martin strikes again with a three, this one her sixth of the opening half. As the half finished, Stonehill took a 37-17 lead into the intermission.

Freshman guard Sarah Middleton (Barrington, R.I.) started off the second half with a layup, followed by senior forward Kara Charette (Fairhaven, Mass.) splitting a pair of free throws, cutting the gap to 39-20.

Gardner stole the ball and took it down the court for a fast break layup to make it 39-22. Immediately after, she was able to steal again, but was not able to turn it into anything.

After a Stonehill timeout, the Ravens came back with a 6-0 run, as Charette, Middleton and Gardner all made buckets, cutting the Skyhawks lead to 39-28.

Martin hit a jumper for two to stop the run, before Charette followed up with back-to-back jumpers, making it 41-32.

Junior forward Alison Palma (Stamford, Conn.) made a reverse layup to make it 41-34, but Martin followed this up with a 7-0 run of her own. She hit her seventh three-pointer and added two jumpers to put Stonehill further in front, 48-34.

In the final 20 seconds of the quarter, Gardner and Bastian connected for a layup and a buzzer-beater three-pointer, respectively, but the Skyhawks were still ahead going into the final quarter, 52-39.

Bastian and Fogle combined for three straight layups, pulling the Ravens within 54-45 with just under eight minutes to go. Gardner notched another steal and a fast-break layup, allowing the Ravens to creep in on the Skyhawks further, making it 54-47.

Sophomore forward Samantha Hyslip made a jumper for Stonehill, but Thacker answered with a layup at the five-minute mark. Thacker added two more after getting her own rebound, making it a 57-51 game with two-and-a-half minutes to go in regulation.

Gardner notched a layup, the Ravens got another steal and Charette put in a layup to make it a two-point game with under a minute to go. Charette followed with another layup to tie the game, 57-57, and with the Skyhawks' last possession producing nothing the game went into overtime.

As overtime started, Stonehill got an early push, with senior guard Paige Marshall and senior forward Shannon Brown both scoring to open a 61-57 lead.

Bastian was able to get in on the action with two good free throws, but Hyslip had a layup followed by a steal. After the steal, she sent the ball to sophomore guard Courtney Walsh for the jumper, as the Ravens fell behind, 67-59.

With 30 seconds to go, Bastian put up another triple and Charette sank her throws but time ran out and the Ravens could not catch up to the Skyhawks, who prevailed, 71-64.

Leading the scoring for the Ravens were both Bastian and Gardner, who earned 14 points apiece, while Gardner also recorded eight rebounds. Charette added 13 points along the way. The Ravens shot just 29.9% (7-24) in the first half, but finished 41.5% (27-65) in the field, and hit 66.7% (8-12) on free throws. The Ravens had 48 points in the paint.

Kelly Martin led the Skyhawks with 33 points, followed by Hyslip with 13 points. Stonehill shot 44.4% (24-54) in the field and 80& (16-20) from the free-throw line.

The Ravens play next at Saint Michaels on February 9th at 5:30 p.m.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce women's basketball apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).