STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. (11/12/22) - The Franklin Pierce University Women's Basketball team suffered a season opening loss on the road Monday evening, falling to the University of Bridgeport by a final score of 87-70. The Ravens were unable to match the shooting prowess of the Purple Knights in the affair, as the loss came on the opening day of the second-annual College of Staten Island Conference Challenge, held at the Staten Island Sports and Recreation Center.

The Ravens open their season 0-1 following the non-conference loss, as the Purple Knights begin their respective campaign 1-0 with the victory.

The first quarter saw the Ravens fighting from behind early on, as the Knights quickly went to work with a 9-2 lead through the first three minutes. However, points on five straight possessions by the Ravens soon saw them back in the action, featuring tallies by juniors Ines Gimenez Montserrat (Mallorca, Spain) and Anna Badosa Soler (Girona, Spain), as well as a collegiate first for freshman newcomer Leana Heitmann (Pompey, N.Y.). After eventually climbing back to claim a 14-11 lead over the Knights, the two teams witnessed the lead swap three different times, before Bridgeport eventually pulled away to close out the quarter leading 25-17.

A pair of early three-pointers by Bridgeport earned them a lengthy gap on the scoreboard, as the Raven offense would fail to gain any real ground until the 6:23 mark of the frame, a layup from Heitmann. Trailing 36-29 with under four minutes to play in the half, the Ravens finally found a rhythm on consecutive drives, cutting the deficit to four on a three-point jumper from freshman Kenzie Sirowich (Seymour, Conn.) and a two-point layup inside the paint from junior Collette Mulderig (Scranton, Pa.). Prior to the end of the second quarter, Ines Giminez Montserrat would claim the final batch of points for the Ravens, claiming three off an and-one scenario as well as an additional two-pointer with 43 seconds left. It was the only quarter where the Ravens outscored the Knights, as Pierce entered the third trailing 47-41.

Through the first three minutes of the third quarter, the offense once again showed signs of struggle for the Birds, as they were outscored by the Purple Knights by a lofty 10-2 margin. As Bridgeport continued to slowly add onto their lead offensively, their defensive game tightened their grip on the Ravens by limiting them to just five points  scored, up until a Leana Heitmann layup with 3:45 left to go in the frame. Altogether, the Ravens went on to be outscored the Bridgeport 24-15 in the quarter, and faced a grim outlook heading into the final frame, trailing the Knights 71-56.

The offensive struggles in the third quarter would prove costly enough in the fourth quarter for Franklin Pierce, as the Knights would maintain control of the action to cruise to their 87-70 victory.

As a team, the Ravens shot 25-61 (41.0%) from the field, with Ines Gimenez Montserrat leading the attack with a team high 20 points, along with seven rebounds. Additionally, Leana Heitmann and Anna Badosa Soler each hit the double-digit mark in points, notching 14 and 13 total respectively while combining 7-7 on free-throws. 

To close out their tournament trip, the Ravens will seek redemption versus Holy Family University tomorrow (November 13^th) afternoon, for a 1 p.m. matinee showdown.