Recap by Director of Athletic Communications Luke Tracy 

WALTHAM, MASS. (3/15/2024) – The Franklin Pierce University women's basketball team's season ended Friday afternoon during the first round of the NCAA East Regional playoffs after the Ravens fell to the Greyhounds of Assumption University, 58-43. For the Ravens, the 2023-24 season marked a decade best 20-11 (13-9, NE10) record. Recording 20 wins and reaching the East Regional playoffs was a milestone the program had not reached since the 2011-12 season.

Score: Franklin Pierce 43, Assumption 58
Records: Franklin Pierce 20-11(13-9, NE10) Assumption 25-5(18-4, NE10)
Location: Dana Center, Waltham, Massachusetts, Hosted by Bentley University
Date: Friday, March 15, 2024

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Franklin Pierce University entered the tournament as the 7^th seed in the East Region and matched up against the No. 2 seeded Assumption Greyhounds. Prior to Friday's game, the two teams faced each other twice in the regular season, splitting the series 1-1.
• Assumption opened up Friday's game with an early 8-2 lead after the Greyhounds capitalized on several Raven turnovers. Assumption's Teagan Curran and Molly Stokes led the way for the Greyhounds with five points each and the team went 7-14 from the field. Colette Mulderig (Scranton, PA) and Anna Badosa Soler (Girona, Spain) led the Ravens with four points each. Mulderig went 1-2 from the field paired with two good shots at the free throw line. All of Soler's points in the first quarter came from the charity stripe where she went 4-4.  At the end of the first, the Ravens trailed 16-11.
• Assumption carried the momentum into the second quarter where the Greyhounds again outscored the Ravens 13-10. Soler and Mulderig generated all of the Ravens' points in the second quarter and Mulderig led the way in the defensive end with a team high 3 rebounds. Closing out the first half, the Ravens again trailed 29-21.
• During the third quarter, only three Ravens recorded points. Mulderig again stepped up with six points after she went 3-4 from the field. Leanna Heitmann (Syracuse, NY) recorded the team's first three pointer of the game and Janessa Gonzalez (Meriden, CT) grabbed a good free-throw to make up the team's tenth point of the quarter. The third quarter was the Greyhounds worst, as the team went 2-8 from the field but cleaned it up at the free throw line after the team went 6-7. Heading into the final quarter, the Ravens trailed 39-31.
• The Greyhounds pulled away with the victory in the fourth quarter after five different players scored three or more points for a combined game high 19 points. The Ravens worked to claw back at the deficit and scored 12 more points led by Heitmann who hit a layup, three-pointer, and free throw for a combined six-points. At the final whistle, it wasn't enough to mount a comeback as the Ravens fell 58-43.

BREAKING DOWN THE NUMBERS:

• Colette Mulderig put together a standout final game after she led the team with 14 points and recorded a game high 12 rebounds. Anna Badosa Soler was the team's second leading scorer with 12 points, followed by Leanna Heitmann who grabbed an addition ten points, marking the final Raven to break double digits.
• Total Field Goal Percentage:
  • Ravens: 30% (15-50)
  • Greyhounds:  46.8% (22-47)
• 3-Point Percentage:
  • Ravens: 15.4% (2-13)
  • Greyhounds: 44.4% (4-9)
• Free Throws:
  • Ravens: 73.3% (11-15)
  • Greyhounds: 76.9% (10-13)
• Rebounds:
  • Ravens: 26
  • Greyhounds: 33  

NEXT FOR THE RAVENS:

The Franklin Pierce University women's basketball season has come to a close. Looking back at the season which started in the second week of November, the Ravens put together a campaign that boasted success stories for players and coaches alike. Through December, the team tallied an impressive 7-3 record. The month of January was up and down for the Ravens, but turning the calendar to the second month of the year, the Ravens turned on the jets and put together a nine game winning streak that brought them all the way to the second round of the Northeast-10 Conference playoffs.

Anna Badosa Soler had a standout senior season for the Ravens as she was twice named Northeast-10 Player of the Week, Northeast-10 Defensive Player of the year, first team all-conference, first team all-defense and made the CCA East Region Second team. In her senior season, Soler put up 408 points; more than her three previous seasons combined. Gisela Vazquez Segura (Igualada, Spain) followed suit with Soler with post season accolades as she was named to the NE-10 all defensive squad as well.

Colette Mulderig exploded offensively for the Ravens in 2023-24. In 2022-23, Mulderig put up 105 points. This year, she more than tripled that number with 350 total points.

The Franklin Pierce University coaching staff grew to four members during the 2023-24 season. Head Coach Mark Swasey and Assistant Rick Recore were joined by FPU Alum Hannah Everidge and Jon Mandeldove. For Everidge and Mandeldove, the two helped with both the women's and men's teams through the last five months.