Ravens have their three-game winning streak snapped

WALTHAM, Mass. (February 14, 2012) -- The Franklin Pierce University women's basketball team could not shake off a sluggish start and dropped a 60-49 decision to No. 6-nationally ranked Bentley on Tuesday night at the Dana Center in Waltham, Mass. The Ravens had their three-game winning streak snapped in falling to 16-8 and 13-7 in the Northeast-10, while the Falcons improved to 22-3 and 18-2 in league play.

Lauren Battista pumped in a game-high 17 points for Bentley, while Courtney Finn posted a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Bentley turned in a strong defensive effort, forcing the Ravens into 23 turnovers and limiting them to just 33 percent shooting (17-of-52).

Franklin Pierce was paced by senior guard Lekia Cowen (Hopedale, Mass.) as she netted 11 points. Junior forward Amanda Saab (Windham, N.H.) and sophomore guard Brittany Martelle (Brookfield, Conn.) each tossed in nine points. Senior center Jewel White (Worcester, Mass.) pulled down 12 rebounds, but totaled just seven points to have her string of five-straight double-doubles snapped.

Franklin Pierce struggled throughout the first half, committing 18 turnovers and converting its first field goal 7:12 into the frame when Cowen tossed in a layup.

Bentley did not fare too much better on the offensive end as the Falcons converted on just 33 percent of their attempts, but they were able to use their strong defensive play to score 12 of the first 14 points and build a 34-11 lead at the intermission.

Battista netted 12 points in the opening 20 minutes, while Finn followed with 10 points. Senior guard Marielle Giroud (Martigny, Switzerland) paced Franklin Pierce with five points, including a three-point play late in the half.

The Ravens played more up-tempo in the second half, scoring 38 points and forcing Bentley into 11 turnovers while committing just five themselves. Cowen dropped in nine of her points in the second half, while Saab and Martelle scored all of their's during the frame. However, the Ravens could not get closer than the final margin.

The Falcons shot 40 percent from the field in the second half to keep a comfortable margin in sealing the victory. Shatasia Kearse went 4-of-5 from the floor and had eight points in the stanza.

Franklin Pierce returns to action Saturday when the Ravens play host to UMass-Lowell at 1:30 p.m. in The Fieldhouse in Rindge.

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).