RINDGE, N.H. (January 29, 2014) -- Five Ravens scored in
double-figures and the Franklin Pierce University women's
basketball team overcame a 13-point halftime deficit to pull off a
tremendous 97-88 win over first-place Adelphi on Wednesday night at
The Fieldhouse in Rindge.
The Ravens won their third straight
and seventh in the last eight to improve to 11-7 overall and 8-5 in
the Northeast-10, while the Panthers fell to 14-5 and 8-5 in league
play. Adelphi had come into the game in first place of the
Southwest Division standings in the NE-10.
The individual highlight of the
night came from senior guard Brittany Martelle (Brookfield,
Conn.), who had 17 points to top the 1,000-point mark for
her impressive career. Martelle's second basket of the game -- a
layup at the 18:15 mark -- gave her the career scoring
accomplishment. She became the 22nd player in program history to
reach 1,000 in a career, and currently stands at 1,014.
The Ravens were led in scoring by
sophomore forward Kara Charette (Fairhaven,
Mass.), who had a game-high 22 points on 6-of-10 shooting
from the floor. Senior Brooke Coderre (Woonsocket,
R.I.) followed with 19 points, while sophomore
Dyamond Gardner (Cambridge, Mass.) joined Martelle
with 17 points as well. Junior Jessica Hurd (Kegworth,
England) chipped in with 11 points.
Those five double-figure scorers
were part of an outstanding offensive attack for Franklin Pierce in
the second half, as the Ravens shot a blistering 70 percent from
the floor (19-of-27), including an even more impressive 75-percent
clip from beyond the arc (6-of-8).
The hot shooting came after the
Ravens struggled some in the first half by going just 38 percent
from the field.
Franklin Pierce trailed 47-34 at
the break, but quickly chipped away at the deficit early in the
second half, keyed by a 15-2 run to take a 59-57 lead with 11:26
remaining. Gardner had eight points during the surge, including a
pair of three's and a layup to cap it. Charette helped it with
three-straight points to open the rally, and then laid in another
basket moments later.
The teams settled into trading
baskets for the next several minutes, but the Ravens broke that
trend with a quick 7-0 run to open up a 10-point lead at 84-74 with
3:05 to go. Gardner dropped in a jumper, and Martelle followed by
bombing in a three and hiting a driving layup.
Adelphi tried to rally, but the
Ravens were able to counter those baskets with clutch free throw
shooting late. Martelle converted a quartet of foul shots , while
Charette, Alison Palma (Stamford, Conn.), and
Coderre each knocked down a pair as well.
While Franklin Pierce was lights
out shooting in the second 20 minutes, the Panthers were the
complete opposite by only going for 39 percent from the floor. That
came after Adelphi had shot really well from the field in the first
half at a 55-percent clip.
Jessica Kitrys pumped in a
team-high 20 points for Adelphi, while Jenna Halaby and Sade
Jackson added 16 and 14, respectively. Tara Flynn came off the pine
to pour in 12 points.
Wednesday's matchup also featured the top-two scorers in the league
between Kitrys and Charette. Kitrys was first with an 18.9 points
per game average, and Charette was right behind at 18.1. However,
the latter got the better of the offensive output on the night.
Adelphi got some separation late in
the first half by going on a 16-3 run to open up a 38-25 advantage.
Kelli Mannix spearheaded the effort with seven points, while Sade
Jackson chipped in five.
The Panthers closed out the half
strong in taking the 13-point lead into the locker room at
halftime.
Franklin Pierce returns to action
Saturday when the Ravens travel to Syracuse, N.Y. to face Le Moyne
in a 12 p.m. tip.
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/FranklinPierceRavens). Fans wishing to purchase
women's basketball apparel can do so on the athletic department's
online store at athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store(.)
