Kate McDonald knocks down five three-pointers to pace Ravens offensive attack

RINDGE, N.H. (December 7, 2011) -- The No. 12 nationally ranked Franklin Pierce University women's basketball was on the verge of pulling off one of the greatest wins in program history Wednesday night, but No. 1 Bentley used a furious rally over the final 14 minutes of the game to pull off a 73-59 win over the Ravens in The Fieldhouse in Rindge. Franklin Pierce suffered its first loss of the season in falling to 6-1 and 5-1 in the Northeast-10, while Bentley remained unbeaten with an 8-0 mark and a 6-0 league record.

Franklin Pierce found itself trailing 38-36 coming out of the locker room to start the second half, but the Ravens exploded in the opening five minutes of the stanza and outscored the Falcons, 17-6 to gain a 53-44 advantage. Junior guard Tiffany Johnson (St. Albans, Vt.) kick-started the opening surge with a three-pointer and scored five points during the rally. Sophomore guard Kate McDonald (Fall River, Mass.) knocked down a pair of triples during the surge, including one at the 14:39 mark to cap it and give Franklin Pierce the 53-44 lead.

The Fieldhouse was rocking, but Bentley wasn't deterred by Franklin Pierce's onslaught. In fact, the Falcons went on a 29-6 run the rest of the game to turn a nine-point deficit into a 14-point victory. Lauren Battista had nine of her game-high 21 points during the winning rally, while Katherine Goodwin netted eight points to aid the surge. 

For as impressive as Bentley's offensive output was during the late run, it was their defensive effort which was the key in keeping the Ravens from pulling off the upset. After McDonald's three-pointer staked Franklin Pierce to the nine-point advantage, Bentley did not allow the Ravens to convert another field goal for the next four minutes before Johnson hit a running jumper at the 10:14 mark. The Falcons turned up the pressure and did not yield another successful field goal attempt until a full nine minutes later when Franklin Pierce senior center Jewel White (Worcester, Mass.) laid in a basket with a minute remaining and the outcome already decided.

In addition to Battista's 21 points, Jacqui Brugliera and Courtney Finn followed with 13 and 12 points, respectively. Finn notched a double-double as she also pulled down 10 rebounds.
Bentley shot 44 percent (25-of-57) from the field, while holding Franklin Pierce to just 37 percent shooting (22-of-60). The Falcons also held a 43-32 advantage on the glass.

McDonald scored a team-high 15 points for the Ravens on her five three-pointers made in the contest. She was an impressive 5-of-10 from behind the arc, as Franklin Pierce knocked down 10 as a team for the game. White, the two-time reigning NE-10 player of the week, notched her sixth-consecutive double-double as she totaled 14 points and 11 rebounds. Johnson chipped in with eight points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Bentley opened the game on an 8-0 run, but Franklin Pierce countered by going on a 14-8 run over a six-minute stretch to pull within two at 16-14. McDonald started the run with a three-pointer from the right wing, and classmate Brittany Martelle (Brookfield, Conn.) stroked a triple of her own minutes later to aid the rally. White had six points during the stretch, including capping it with a pair of layups.

The Falcons pushed their lead out to 28-16 with 8:32 remaining in the half on a Finn trey, but like they did in the early stages of the first half, the Ravens countered with a 14-4 run to pull within two at 32-30.

McDonald drained another trey minutes later to knot the score at 36-all, but Battista hit a soft floater in the lane in the final seconds to send Bentley into the locker room at halftime with a small 38-36 lead.

Franklin Pierce returns to action Saturday afternoon when it travels to take on UMass-Lowell at 2 p.m. in the Costello Center.

For more information on Franklin Pierce women's basketball, please visit the team's page at athletics.franklinpierce.edu(.) To follow the program even further, please visit Franklin Pierce Athletics on YouTube (www.youtube.com/FranklinPierceSports), Twitter (www.twitter.com/FPUathletics) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceAthletics).