ALBANY, N.Y. (December 20, 2015) -- The Franklin Pierce University women's basketball team took their second win this weekend in the Saint Rose Holiday Classic as they defeated Molly College, 75-71, in a non-conference match-up. Three Ravens earning double-digit points again on Sunday, as senior forward Kara Charette (Fairhaven, Mass.) led the way with 22 points, followed by senior guard Natalie Bastian (Branford, Conn.) with 18 points and freshman guard Sarah Middleton (Barrington, R.I.) with 11 points.

With the win, the Ravens advance to 5-5 overall, while Molloy falls to an overall record of 2-8.

Bastian was first on the board again on Sunday for the Ravens, as she sank a three-point shot to set the pace early. Her efforts were matched by Molloy senior guard Alexia O'Connor, who sank a three-point shot of her own.

Two free throws for Lions senior forward Ally Leftridge, followed by a layup put the Lions ahead of the Ravens, 7-3, early on. Charette followed Leftridge's layup with one of her own, and junior guard Jasmyne Fogle (Bridgeport, Conn.) followed to tie the game, 7-7 with six minutes to play in the first quarter. Fogle was fouled and hit a free throw to complete the three-point play and push the Ravens in front.

Leftridge and O'Connor connected for five points with a three-pointer and layup combination to push the Lions ahead once more, 12-8.

Middleton joined the action, as she scored a three-pointer to cut into the Lions lead. Leftridge got the last two points for Molly in the quarter, but the Ravens made their presence known with two of their last three baskets of the stanza, both three pointers. Bastian and sophomore guard Jemma Thacker (Aldgate, Australia) sank those shots to bring the Ravens back within striking distance as the quarter expired, with the score 20-19 favoring the Lions.

The second quarter started with a 10-6 Ravens run in the first five minutes. Senior guard Dyamond Gardner (Cambridge, Mass.) started the run with a layup, with was followed by Thacker and Bastian three-pointers and ended with Middleton throwing in a layup, making it 29-26 in favor of Franklin Pierce.

In the midst of the Ravens run, Molloy freshman guard Ihnacinse Grady managed to score all six points for her team, making back-to-back three-point buckets.

Grady and senior guard Kimani Jackson converted consecutive three-point plays, as each put home a layup and a free throw to put Molloy out front, 32-29.

Charette and Fogle were able to put in a combined effort with layups to push past Molloy once more, but the Lions would have the last say before halftime with the six unanswered points in the last three minutes. Molloy took a 38-33 lead into the halftime break.

After halftime the Ravens would answer those six points with their own six-point run, as Charette hit two layups and Fogle got a hand in the mix with a jump shot. Leftridge was able to break that run with two layups to tie the game, 40-40.

Fogle, Middleton and Charette connected once more for another six point run, as the Ravens jumped out front, 46-42. As the teams went back and forth, Bastian hit a three-point basket with 30 seconds left in the quarter, to give Franklin Pierce a 53-51 lead. Junior forward Brianna Perlmutter hit a buzzer-beater layup for Molloy to tie the game going into the fourth, 53-53.

Going into the deciding quarter, for the first minute-and-a-half, both teams found themselves in a defensive battle. Molloy junior guard Maggie Salomone scored first, before the Ravens secured a 10-5 run, with Charette sinking a pair of free throws, Gardner hitting a three-point bucket to push ahead and Thacker backing her up with two more free throws. Middleton rounding out the run with a layup to give the Ravens a 63-58 lead.

O'Connor broke the streak with a three-point basket for Molloy, closing the gap to 63-61. Charette found two more free throws, which she followed up with a layup. Middleton and Bastian combined to sink four straight free throws, pushing the lead to 71-65, as the Ravens started to put the game away in the final minute.

Molloy continued fouling to get the ball back in a comeback attempt, and a Lions shot from just outside of the arc by freshman guard Bridget Sharnick with six seconds left put Molloy only three points behind. Charette took the inbounds feed and was fouled, with the Ravens needing just a split of the free throws to put the game on ice. She missed the front end, but hit the second, as Franklin Pierce came away with the 75-71 victory.

Leading the Ravens in scoring was Kara Charette with 22 points, with Bastian close behind with 18 points and Middleton adding 11.

For the Lions, O'Connor and Jackson tied with 13 points apiece, and Leftridge trailed close behind with 12 points.

Franklin Pierce shot 51.1% overall from the field, making it to the line 27 times and sinking 21 of those shots. The Ravens finished with 26 points in the paint and turning Molloy turnovers into 15 points.

The Ravens play again on Jan. 2 at Saint Anselm at 2 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).