Recap by Director of Athletic Communications Luke Tracy 

WALTHAM, MASS. (1/13/2024) – Taking on one of the top teams in the Northeast-10 Saturday afternoon the Franklin Pierce Women's basketball team fell to Bentley 65-52. After a close first quarter, the Falcons ran away with the victory to advance to their fifth consecutive win and a comfortable seat at the top of the NE10 standings.

Score: Franklin Pierce 52, Bentley 65
Records: Franklin Pierce (9-5, 4-5 NE10) Bentley (13-2, 8-1 NE10)
Location: Charles A. Dana Center, Waltham, Mass.
Date: 1/13/2024

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The first quarter of the game proved to be the most competitive but it was clear the Ravens struggled to finish their offensive opportunities. Three of the starting five scored zero points in the first quarter, but sophomore guard Kenzie Sirowich (Seymour, Conn.) led with six points and senior guard Anna Badosa Soler (Girona, Spain) netted five herself. As a team, the Ravens went 5-15 from the field but were able to capitalize from the free-throw line grabbing five of six attempts. Closing out the first, Bentley held a 19-16 lead.
• Moving into the second quarter, the Raven's offense hit a lull and only put up 11 points as the Falcons dumped in a game high 23 points. Again, the Ravens struggled from the field after going five for 13, missing a single three-point opportunity and only one free throw. The slow second put the Ravens down 42-27 heading into halftime.
• The third quarter played a lot like the second as the Ravens repeated hitting five of 13 shots from the field. Sirowich grabbed the lone three-pointer of the quarter for the Ravens but after 30 minutes of play and one quarter left, the Falcons held a firm 60-38 lead.
• After the Ravens were outscored in the first, second and third quarter, the opposite happened in the fourth. Bentley's offensive unit froze up, only scoring five points after the team went 2-11 from the field including five missed 3-point attempts and 1-4 from the free throw line. The Ravens kept pace with their previous three quarters, going 4-10 from the field including 2-4 from the arc, but the team successfully went 4-4 from the free-throw line. Though Bentley hit a wall in the fourth, the Ravens couldn't catchup and the game closed out with a 65-52 final.

BREAKING DOWN THE NUMBERS:

• Both teams shot under 40% from the field Saturday afternoon but Bentley had six more shots that helped lead them to the victory.
  • FPU: 19-51 (37.3%)
  • Bentley: 22-57 (38.6%)
• Both teams scored four three-pointers, but the Ravens led in shooting percentage hitting 4-10(40%) opposed to the Falcons' 4-21 (19%).
• The charity stripe earned its name Saturday and played a major role in win for Bentley. The Falcons were rewarded 22 free throws and the team hit 17 of them (77.3%). As for the Ravens, the team only went to the line 11 times hitting 10 of their shots (90.9%).
• Defensively the Falcons capitalized on mistakes, scoring 21 points off of 17 turnovers by the Ravens.
• Points in the paint also decided the game. The Ravens grabbed a solid 18 points there, but the Falcons doubled that with 36.

NEXT FOR THE RAVENS:

• Sitting at a 9-5 record, the Ravens look to break into the double digits for wins this season on Wednesday, January 17 when the team plays the University of New Haven at home at 5:30 PM.