STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. (11/13/22) – A strong third quarter provided the Franklin Pierce women's basketball team with the lead necessary to hold off Holy Family University for their first win on the young season by a 62-51 final score on Sunday afternoon. The non-conference triumph came on the final day of the Staten Island Conference Challenge, as the Ravens split their matchups over the weekend.

Both squads move to 1-1 overall on the year following the opposing decisions.

The Ravens did not wait long to jump ahead in the first quarter, quickly claiming a 10-2 advantage following unanswered scoring plays from freshman guard Kenzie Sirowich (Seymour, Conn.), despite surrendering the first basket to the Tigers. Over the next several minutes, Holy Family would slowly find their way back into the contest, before Ines Gimenez Montserrat (Mallorca, Spain) secured two points with a layup in close, putting the Ravens ahead 14-8. When all was said and done through the first ten minutes, Franklin Pierce led Holy Family 14-10 heading into the second frame.

Both teams traded layups to open the action in the second, but the Ravens would maintain control throughout the majority of the quarter. With 4:36 left to play, the Ravens strung together a pair of two-point scoring drives beginning with junior Ana Badosa Soler (Girona, Spain), and  finishing with freshman Sara Macary (Naugatuck, Conn.) off a Tiger turnover, putting the birds ahead 24-14. Shortly thereafter, first-year guard Leana Heitmann (Pompey, N.Y.) expanded upon the Raven lead with a three-pointer, en-route to a 31-22 advantage at the half.

The third quarter proved to be a deal-sealer for Franklin Pierce. The momentum through the ten minutes came as a perfect split, with the Tigers opening the frame with a 10-3 scoring run over the Ravens. However, the scales immediately shifted in the bottom half of the quarter as the Ravens flipped the script with a 17 -3 scoring run on the Tigers, which including five points apiece from juniors Ana Badosa Soler and Ines Giminez Montserrat. Heading into the final stanza, the Ravens would hold a hefty 19-point advantage over Holy Family.

Through the fourth quarter, the Ravens would fall victim to a late 11-0 scoring surge by the Tigers, but eventually secure enough points to ensure the season's first victory.

Ines Gimenez Montserrat finished atop the Raven leaderboards for the second straight contest, dropping 22 points while reeling in 15 rebounds for the double-double. Additional double-digit point producers included Ana Badosa Soler (13) and Leana Heitman (11), as junior guard Gabriela Sanchez-Parodi (Canary Islands, Spain) collected a match-high six assists. As a team, the Ravens dominated the boards all afternoon, besting the Tigers in rebounds by a 47-36 margin. Additionally, the Ravens seized their opportunities at the free throw line, going 17-19 (89.5%).

Women's basketball opens NE10 conference competition on Wednesday, November 16^th when they will head south to Worcester, Massachusetts for a 5:30 p.m. matchup at Assumption University.