Rindge, N.H. (November 18, 2015) -- Behind 19 points from senior guard Natalie Bastian (Branford, Conn.), the Franklin Pierce University women's basketball team picked up a 68-53, season-opening win over Saint Michael's in Northeast-10 Conference play in the Fieldhouse on Wednesday night. Sophomore guard Leah Spencer matched Bastian's 19 to tie for the game high to lead the way for Saint Michael's.

After the win Franklin Pierce gained a 1-0 start to their season and 1-0 mark in conference play. Saint Michael's fell to a record of 1-2 overall and 0-2 in the conference.

The Ravens got off to a slow start, until a fast break out of the defensive zone by senior guard Dyamond Gardner (Cambridge, Mass.), a slash into the lane and a swift pass led to an easy layup for Bastian. Later in the quarter, Bastian hit a buzzer-beater jumper from the right side to cut the Saint Michael's lead to 18-13 at the end of the first quarter.

The second quarter again started quiet for the Ravens, with Saint Michael's opening the quarter on an 8-2 run, forcing Franklin Pierce to use a timeout with 6:30 remaining in the half. Bastian hit on the back end of a seemingly innocuous two-shot foul with 5:29 left in the period, but the shot would kickstart a 17-4 run, which allowed Franklin Pierce to claim the lead heading into halftime, 32-30. Junior forward Alison Palma (Cambridge, Mass.) capped the run with a three-point play to stake the Ravens to the lead with 16 seconds remaining. Palma had second points on the surge, as she converted on four other free throws as well.

After Saint Michael's pushed to a 41-41 tie in the third quarter, the Ravens started the game's decisive run with 4:22 to play in the third, as Bastian converted a pair of free throws and her teammates, senior forward Kara Charette (Fairhaven, Mass.) and Gardner, joined her in the scoring run as well. Gardner's three-point bucket would bring the crimson and gray to a 10-point lead (51-41) with two minutes remaining in the third quarter and cap a run of 10 straight points for the Ravens.

As the Franklin Pierce began to pull away in the fourth quarter, it was able to capitalize on Saint Michael's turnovers and poor shooting, and the Ravens were able to walk away with the win 68-53.

Overall, the Ravens shot slightly over 33 percent from the floor on the night, while the Purple Knights only shot just over 27 percent.

Things did not go great from behind the arc for the Ravens in the first half, as they only shot 9.1% (1-for-11), but the tides turned in the second half, when Franklin Pierce went 5-for-10 from long range. Meanwhile, it was the opposite story for Saint Michael's, which went 4-for-9 (44.4%) from three-point range in the first half, but nearly came up empty, with a 1-for-10 (10%) performance in the second half.

One of the biggest advantages came from free throws, as the Ravens got to the line 23 times and converted at an 87-percent clip, while the Purple Knights only had 14 opportunities, and they shot just over 71 percent.

Both teams equally scored off turnovers (13 points each), but Franklin Pierce was able to score 12 points off of fast breaks, while Saint Michael's only managed four points.

Leading the Ravens in scoring on Wednesday was Bastian, with 19 points, followed by Charette with 11 points. Gardner finished the night with six steals, while Palma filled out her stat line with nine points, 11 rebounds and four blocks.

Leading the Purple Knights in scoring on the night was Spencer and her 19 points. Teammate senior guard Makenzie Burud with 15 rebounds and 5 assists, while adding eight points to narrowly miss out on a double-double.

The Ravens return home on Tuesday, Nov. 24th, when they play host to Southern New Hampshire University at 5:30 p.m. in a Northeast-10 contest at the Fieldhouse.

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).