RINDGE, N.H. (December 3, 2016) – Trailing by 28 points, the Franklin Pierce women's basketball team battled back and showed great resiliency late in the contest, but Northeast-10 Conference foe Assumption College held on for a 69-61 victory on Saturday afternoon in The Fieldhouse. The win moves the Greyhounds to 4-3, 2-3 NE10 and the loss drops the Ravens to 2-6 overall.

Junior guard Jemma Thacker (Nairne, South Australia) tallied a career-high 22 points in 27 minutes off the bench shooting 9-for-11 (81.8%) from the hardwood and a perfect 4-of-4 from deep. On the defensive end, Thacker racked up a game-best four steals. This was only the second time in her collegiate career that she scored more than 20 points. Thacker dropped 20 points her freshman season at NYIT on February 16, 2015.

Leading the way for Assumption was senior forward Jo Impellizeri who recorded a double-double with a team-high 15 points and 10 boards. Impellizeri added three assists, a block and a steal to her stat line.

Both squads shot an even 24-of-52 (46.2%) from the field during the game, but the guests connected on 12-of-23 (52.2%) of their three-point attempts.

Assumption opened the game with a 10-0 run over the first three minutes of play. Allison Stoddard knocked in a shot from long range from the right wing to get things started and Kelly Carey found Teneya McLaughlin for a three-ball to close the binge.

Alison Palma (Stamford, Conn.) ended the run by using a spin move down low for the first two Raven markers. With 2:41 left in the quarter, Palma and freshman Mya Mosley (Worcester, Mass.) used a pick and roll play which resulted in Palma knocking down a mid-range jumper to bring her squad within eight, 15-7.

The Greyhounds would change the landscape of the game with a 23-4 run that put them up 27 with 6:18 to go before the intermission. 12 of the final 14 points in the binge came from beyond the arc as Kelly Carey hit two three-pointers while Stoddard and Kiera O'Donnell tallied one three ball each as the guests were sitting comfortably ahead.

Morgan O'Brien put her team up 28 at the 4:41 mark, then the Ravens went to work scoring 14 consecutive points which included a Thacker three right before the intermission to cut the deficit in half at 41-27. Jo Impellizeri split a pair of freebies with one second on the clock to put the guests ahead 42-27 at the halfway point.

Thacker's third three of the game came with 2:10 left in the third to being her squad within 12, 50-38. A 14-0 run that began at the end of the third quarter and stretched into the fourth period put Assumption up 26, 64-38 with 8:37 to go.

The Ravens rallied once again as their defense stepped up down the stretch holding their opponents scoreless for six and a half minutes. Over those six minutes, Pierce tallied a huge 18-0 binge.

Palma poked the rock away from Stoddard and played pick and roll with Mosley who sliced and diced through the lane for a layup which cut the Greyhound advantage to eight, 64-56 with 2:25 left.

On the next possession, Assumption's Kelly Carey buried a three to put her team back up double figures, 67-56 at the two minute mark. Palma hit two free throws and after a Greyhounds miss, Sarah Middleton (Barrington, R.I.) snagged a feed from Dana Campbell (Merrick, N.Y.) and drove to the rack for an easy two.

With 30 seconds left, Middleton swiped the rock from Kiera O'Donnell, drove coast to coast, but her lay-in rimmed out and it was snagged by a trailing O'Donnell. If the layup fell, it wouldn't have made it a two possession game, but Pierce had to foul and Assumption made their free throws down the stretch which effectively ended the game.

Palma and Mosley scored in double-figures for the Ravens as they poured in 12 and 10 points respectively. Palma grabbed a team-high nine rebounds while Mosley snagged seven boards, handed out three assists and came up with three thefts. Middleton added eight points, six assists and four steals in the loss.

The Ravens head out on the road in their next contest as they travel to NE10 opponent Merrimack College on Tuesday for a 5:30 p.m. conference contest.

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).