RINDGE, N.H. – Kara Charette totaled 24 points and 11 rebounds as Franklin Pierce University downed Southern New Hampshire University 66-54 in Northeast-10 women's basketball Wednesday night at the Fieldhouse.  The Ravens upped their record to 5-2 and 3-1 in the NE-10, while the Penmen are 3-5 and 0-4 in the league.

Charette finished 7-9 from the floor and 10-11 at the free throw line to lead three Ravens in double figures.  Dyamond Gardner finished with 18 points on 8-14 shooting, while Natalie Bastian added 12 points off the bench.

Southern New Hampshire was paced by Brooke Springfield (Jaffrey, N.H.) and Victoria Wiseman (Montreal, Quebec), who totaled 10 points apiece.  Lorreta Rocha (Espargos, Cape Verde) finished with nine points and five rebounds, while Catherine Stinson (Lynn, Mass.) notched all eight of her points in the first half.

The first half saw eight lead changes and five ties.  SNHU trailed 12-6 five minutes into the game, but scored the game's next seven points to tie it with 12:27 to go on a Stinson three.  The Penmen trailed 28-26 late in the first half when a basket by Olivia Conrad (Hanover, Mass.) five seconds before intermission tied the game at the break.

Springfield gave SNHU a 30-28 lead on a pair of free throws 2:21 into the second half, but FPU scored five of the game's next six points and a Gardner three with 15:58 to go put the hosts up 35-31.  Franklin Pierce built a 43-34 lead before six straight Penmen points capped by a Rocha layup cut the lead to three, 43-40, with 10:42 remaining.  The Ravens countered by scoring the next seven points to go up 50-40 with 6:45 left, and Franklin Pierce maintained at least an eight-point cushion the rest of the way.

Franklin Pierce shot 56% over the final 20 minutes and 47.1% for the game while limiting the guests to 38% shooting for the contest.  Southern New Hampshire held a 36-30 rebounding advantage and went 15-20 at the free throw line, while FPU was 15-19, but the Penmen committed 20 turnovers leading to a 19-15 Raven advantage in points off turnovers.

Southern New Hampshire returns to action Saturday when it hosts nationally-ranked Stonehill College in a 1:30 game at the SNHU Fieldhouse.  That game can be seen live on NESNplus and NESN National.

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