RINDGE, N.H. (12/09/2022) - The Franklin Pierce women's basketball team found themselves outworks and defeated on their home court Friday evening, as Pace University picked up their first Northeast-10 conference win of the season, defeating the Ravens 54-46 at The Fieldhouse.

With the loss, the Ravens dropped to 4-6 (2-4 NE10) on the season, as the Setters improved to 2-7 (1-4 NE10) following the victory.

It was a tight first half between the two teams, with five lead changes throughout the opening 10 minutes. Both teams also had trouble finding consistent success on the floor, with each shooting less than 35%. Sophomore guard Keely Toohey (McRae, Australia) led the Ravens through the first quarter with five points, all of which were scored in consecutive fashion. Six of the Ravens 13 points came from the free throw line, with Pace holding a 14-13 edge to enter the second frame.

In the second quarter, both teams played well defensively, as each team met each other on the scoreboard with just 12 points scored. Freshman forward Laia Llorente (Madrid, Spain) provided a spark with six points off the bench for the Ravens, going 3-of-4 from the field. As the two teams tied on the scoreboard, the Ravens managed to outwork Pace of the board, out-rebounding the Setters by an 8-6 margin. As was the case in the first, Pace would carry a one-point, 26-25 advantage into halftime. 

The second half continued to be a low scoring affair, as both teams secured only 11 points each. After Pace opened the second half scoring with an early three-pointer, freshman Sara Macary (Naugatuck, Connecticut) answered back with a layup to keep the Ravens within one point. However, the Setters looked to distance themselves on the scoreboard, and continuously attacked Pierce from behind the arc, scoring six of their 11 points in three-point fashion. Both teams continued to trade punches, but the Setters once again held a measly one-point lead entering the final quarter.

In the fourth quarter, Sara Macary gifted the Ravens their first lead since the opening quarter at 38-37 with a layup. However, Pace continued to challenge Pierce, and finally pulled away with a 12-2 scoring run to lead 49-40. Nearing the final two minutes, the Ravens salvaged points on a pair of made free throws by freshman Kenzie Sirowich (Seymour, CT), which she then followed with a hit jumper to cut the deficit to five points with under two minutes to play. With momentum swinging back in their favor, Ines Gimenez Monserrat (Mallorca, Spain) secured another two points on a layup, pulling them to within three just under the one minute mark. With the seconds ticking away, the Ravens ran out of options, and surrendered five more points to free throws for the Pace victory.

The Ravens finished the evening shooting 7-of-48 (35.4%) from the floor, struggling from three range with a 1-of-7 (14.3%) evening. The three-point struggles for Franklin Pierce also phased into the defensive side, as Pace attempted 33 shots from behind the arc, scoring 39 of their 54 points. Sara Macary led the attack for the Ravens with 12 points, going 5-of-7 from the field, while Ashley Smith (Holden, Mass.) claimed seven points on the night, going 3-of-9 in from the floor.  

The Ravens will look to rebound this coming Sunday at The Fieldhouse as they take on non-conference opponent Post University, with tip-off at 2 p.m.