MANCHESTER, N.H. (February 2, 2022) -- The Franklin Pierce University women's basketball team hung in for a half on the road on Wednesday night, but Southern New Hampshire proved to be too much to handle. The Penmen, who received votes in both of this week's major national polls, poured in 31 points in the third quarter to pull away for an 81-68 Northeast-10 Conference victory in the SNHU Fieldhouse. Senior Emma Carter (Bristol, Vt.) went for a game-high 29 points for the Ravens, while graduate student Gyanna Russell led three SNHU players in double digits with 20.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce falls to 9-7 (5-5 NE10), while SNHU improves to 14-4 (8-3 NE10). The Penmen are scheduled to make the return trip to Franklin Pierce on Thursday, Feb. 17.

The two teams effectively traded buckets throughout the first half. Franklin Pierce held a 13-12 lead at the end of the first quarter, and the Ravens would lead by one at the half as well (26-25), as each team scored 13 points in the second frame.

It was still a one-point game with just over four minutes to play in the third stanza, this time with SNHU out in front (37-36), and then the Penmen went on a run to seize control of the game. SNHU closed the third on a 19-11 run, capped by a three-pointer from graduate student Karlee Ziliak on the quarter's final possession, to take a nine-point lead (56-47) into the fourth. Franklin Pierce got as close as six points on a Carter three-pointer with 6:16 to play, but could get no closer as the Penmen went on to the 13-point victory.

Carter finished 10-for-22 from the floor on the day on her way to 29 points, and added seven rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal to lead three Ravens who filled out substantial stat lines on the day. Sophomore Ines Gimenez Monserrat (Mallorca, Spain) added 19 points on 7-for-12 shooting, snagged a team-best eight rebounds and chalked up two steals, while senior Lisa Sulejmani (Burlington, Vt.) provided 13 points, eight assists, six rebounds and a pair of steals.

For SNHU, Russell went 7-for-10 from the floor on the way to 20 points, and also snagged eight rebounds while dishing out two assists. It was three Penmen in double digits, as junior Adriana Timberlake contributed nine points and three assists, while Ziliak picked up 14 points and dished out five assists. Graduate student Meg Knollmeyer finished one point shy of a double-double, as she scored nine points while grabbing a game-high 13 rebounds, to go with five assists, four steals and three blocks.

The Ravens have the weekend off and are slated to travel to Stonehill on Tuesday, Feb. 8, for an NE10 contest at 5:30 p.m. in Easton, Mass.