RINDGE, N.H. – Visiting Southern New Hampshire University nearly rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit, but fell 64-60 to Franklin Pierce University in Northeast-10 women's basketball Tuesday night at the Fieldhouse.  The Ravens upped their record to 14-8 and 11-6 in the NE-10, while the Penmen now stand 7-15 and 5-12 in the league.

Kara Charette paced four Ravens in double figures with 18 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, while Dyamond Garnder knocked down three three-pointers and finished with 14 points.  Brittany Martelle added 12 points, while Jessica Hurd contributed 10 points and seven boards.

Junior Lorreta Rocha (Espargos, Cape Verde) totaled 11 of her team-high 17 points for Southern New Hampshire in the second half, going 7-14 from the floor and also adding six assists, six rebounds and three steals.  The 17 points matched Rocha's career high, set earlier this season in the first meeting with the Ravens.  Classmate Brooke Springfield (Jaffrey, N.H.) was the other Penmen in double figures as she finished with 12 points and four assists.  Kaylea Griffin (Green Springs, Ohio) narrowly missed a double-double with eight points and nine rebounds, while Sara Ryan (Quincy, Mass.) and Bianca Langford (Worcester, Mass.) each scored seven points.

Southern New Hampshire, which trailed by as many as 13 points in the first half and 36-26 at halftime, outscored Franklin Pierce 13-6 over the first 5:34 of the second half to pull within three, 42-39, on a Springfield basket.  The Penmen took their first lead since the game's opening moments on a Griffin basket with 11:49 to go that made it 47-46, and a Ryan layup made it 49-46 with 11 minutes to go.

The two teams traded the lead three times before the Ravens took the lead for good on a Jessica Hurd basket with 9:08 to go that gave the hosts a 52-51 advantage.  FPU extended the lead to four with 5:51 left, but the Penmen made it 59-58 with 3:24 on a pair of Springfield free throws.

The two teams traded baskets with just under a minute left, with Hurd scoring with 45 seconds to go to put Franklin Pierce on top 61-58.  A driving layup by Springfield on SNHU's next possession made it 61-60.  The Penmen fouled Martelle with 10 seconds left, and she made 1-of-2 at the line.  Springfield went to the basket in an attempt to tie the game but her layup fell short, and Charette knocked down a pair of free throws with 1.5 seconds to go to account for the final.

Franklin Pierce led much of the first half and opened up its largest lead, 25-12, with 9:49 remaining on a Gardner three.  SNHU cut the lead to 31-26 with just under a minute left, but five straight points by FPU gave it a 36-26 lead at the break.

The Ravens shot 53.3% in the first half and 48.1% for the game while limiting the Penmen to 42.6% shooting for the contest.  The Penmen, who held a 35-30 rebounding advantage, went 11-17 at the free throw line and 3-9 behind the arc, while Franklin Pierce was 7-10 at the line and 5-16 from three.

The Penmen return to action this Saturday, February 15, when SNHU hosts Stonehill College in a 1:30 tilt.  That game is the annual Penmen Pink Day for breast cancer awareness.

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