Women’s Basketball Upsets Division Leader by Sailing Past Bentley, 87-76

RINDGE, N.H. (February 13, 2016) -- The Franklin Pierce University women's basketball team put three starters and five players overall in double digits on Saturday, as the Ravens took an early lead against Bentley and were able to hold off the Falcons to take a Northeast-10 win, 87-76, at the Fieldhouse.

The Ravens advance their record to 13-10 overall and 10-8 in the NE-10 with the win, while Bentley falls to 20-4 overall and 14-4 in the conference.

Junior guard Jasmyne Fogle (Bridgeport, Conn.) started the Ravens scoring with a three-pointer. The Ravens followed up the play with a steal by senior guard Dyamond Gardner (Cambridge, Mass.), which led to senior forward Kara Charette's (Fairhaven, Mass.) layup, making it 5-4 Ravens. Fogle was able to hit another triple for an 8-4 lead only three minutes into the game.

A series of threes from Bentley followed, with freshman guard Megan Lewis leading the way with two of the three shots. For a brief moment, the Falcons took the lead, 18-16, but junior forward Alison Palma (Stamford, Conn.) sank a layup for the equalizer with under three minutes to go in the first.

With 30 seconds on the clock, Lewis put up another three for the Falcons to take the lead going into the second quarter, 23-22.

The Ravens started the second quarter off strong with a 7-0 run, including Fogle getting her turn at the line and sinking two good throws. Charette was right behind her with a jumper, and Fogle got the last shot, sinking a three to stretch the Franklin Pierce lead to 29-23 and force Bentley into a timeout.

Scoring would remain at a standstill until just over six minutes remained in the half, when junior forward Jen Gemma found herself a three-point play, bringing Bentley back within striking distance, 29-26.

Sophomore guard Jemma Thacker (Aldgate, Australia) found herself a three-point play as well, but sophomore guard Cassie Smith followed that up with a three-point shot for Bentley, trimming the Ravens lead to 32-31.

A long pass from senior guard Natalie Bastian (Branford, Conn.) to Gardner for a fast break layup pushed the Ravens further ahead, 38-33. Charette had back-to-back layups, and Bastian sank a layup with five seconds on the clock to close out the half at 44-39, with the Ravens on top.

In the third quarter, Gardner had another steal and a pass to Fogle who made a good three-point play for the Ravens, who led 51-41 with seven minutes to play in the quarter. Gemma had a layup, but Bastian answered her with a jumper to keep the Ravens lead. At the four-minute mark, Thacker sank a three for a 56-45 lead.

The Ravens got back-to-back turns at the line, with Palma making her shots and Bastian getting her points in as well. After sinking her second free throw, the Ravens gained what would be their largest lead of the game, 15 points, with a 60-45 score. Senior guard Jane White made a final attempt for the Falcons with a three-pointer in the last minute, but Ravens still held a solid 11-point lead, 62-51, headed for the fourth quarter.

In the final quarter, Fogle and Charette connected for five points, Fogle's in the form of a jumper three. Gardner was not far behind with a triple as well, pushing the Ravens lead to 70-56 with just under eight minutes to play.

Falcons sophomore guard Macchi Smith posted a layup and followed it up immediately with a steal and another layup, trimming the gap to 75-65.

Bentley's attempt to regain possession through fouls backfired when the Ravens able to make their free throws. Bentley was unable to manufacture enough points off their possessions to make up the difference, which led to the fall of the Falcons, 87-76.

Leading the Ravens on Saturday was Charette, with 25 points and six rebounds. Fogle was behind her with 19 points, while Bastian had 14 points and Gardner had nine points, 10 rebounds and seven assists on the afternoon. The Ravens shot 50.9% (28-55) and went 96.2% (25-26) from the line, with 36 points in the paint and 20 off the bench.

Leading Bentley was Gemma with 21 points, followed by Lewis with 13 points. The Falcons shot 39.4% (26-66) from the field and 80% (16-20) from the line.

The Ravens play next when they travel to Southern New Hampshire University on Wednesday, February 17 at 5:30.

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).