BOX SCORE
RAPID REACTION WITH HEAD COACH KAREN PINKOS

When and Where: February 17, 2016 – Manchester, N.H. (SNHU Fieldhouse)
Score: Southern New Hampshire University 56, Franklin Pierce University 55
Records: SNHU 14-11 (8-11 Northeast-10), Franklin Pierce 13-11 (10-9 Northeast-10)

Sophomore Olivia Conrad (Hanover, Mass.) notched her first career double-double and classmate Jennifer Shelp (Apalachin, N.Y.) dropped in the game-winning layup with 4.1 seconds left as the Southern New Hampshire University women's basketball team pulled out a 56-55 victory against Franklin Pierce University on Wednesday evening at the SNHU Fieldhouse.

Conrad scored a team-high 13 points (5-11 FG, 3-4 FT), ripped down a career-best 10 boards, handed out two assists and blocked a shot. Senior Erin Doherty (Marshfield, Mass.) also netted 13 points (6-9 FG, 1-2 FT) and tallied seven rebounds, three assists, a block and a steal. Freshman Kylie Lorenzen (Holliston, Mass.) was also in double figures with 11 points (5-12 FG, 1-2 FT), including eight in the second half, to go with three rebounds and a pair of steals.

Kara Charette paced the Ravens with 21 points.

Trailing, 53-52, with under a minute to play, Lorenzen stole the Franklin Pierce inbounds pass and went in for a layup that put the Penmen up one with 36 seconds to go. After a Dyamond Gardner bucket at the other end traded the lead with less than 20 seconds on the clock, SNHU called timeout to draw up one final play. With the game clock winding down under five seconds, Shelp drove in from the left side of the hoop and put a shot up off the glass that fell through the cylinder with 4.1 seconds left.

Southern New Hampshire would commit its foul-to-give to take a second off the clock and Charette's deep 3-pointer at the buzzer was off the mark.

Shelp finished with the two game-winning points (1-5 FG) and six rebounds.

Franklin Pierce led, 6-2, to start the game before a 9-2 wave from the Penmen – with five points from sophomore Catherine Stinson (Lynn, Mass.) – gave them an 11-8 lead with just under three minutes remaining in the opening quarter. The Ravens would close the period on a 7-2 streak to hold a 15-13 lead after one.

Southern New Hampshire began the second stanza on an 8-2 run – with six points coming from Conrad – to regain a 21-18 lead less than two minutes in. Franklin Pierce responded with eight straight points – with Charette and Mikayla Deguire each contributing four – to go back in front, 26-22, with 5:47 to play.

The game of runs continued as Doherty scored four points to power a 5-0 run that put the Penmen on top, 27-26, with 3:30 left. The teams swapped the lead two more times before a Charette layup inside of 30 seconds sent the game to the half tied at 33.

Franklin Pierce opened its largest lead of the game at 43-37 with 6:38 left in the third quarter before an 11-1 surge – with five points from freshman Brianna Camara (Fall River, Mass.) and four from Lorenzen – handed SNHU a 48-44 lead with 1:46 left. The Penmen held a 48-46 edge after three.

Baskets from Lorenzen and Conrad to open the final frame stretched the Southern New Hampshire lead to a game-high 52-46 nearly three minutes in, but the Penmen would go the next 6:40 without scoring as Franklin Pierce scored seven straight to grab a one-point lead at 53-52 with 2:45 left, setting up the Lorenzen and Shelp heroics.

Stinson finished with seven points (3-11 FG, 1-4 3-FG) and four rebounds, while Camara tallied five points (2-10 FG, 1-4 3-FG), seven rebounds, three assists and two steals. Junior Sara Ryan (Quincy, Mass.) chipped in five points (2-5 FG, 1-4 3-FG) and two steals.

Notes:
-With three Northeast-10 Northeast Division spots still up for grabs for the NE-10 Championship, SNHU is one of five teams still in the hunt. The Penmen are currently in a three-way tie for the fifth and final spot with Stonehill College and Merrimack College.
-Franklin Pierce outshot Southern New Hampshire, 42.9 percent (24-56) to 36.4 percent (24-66), including 29.4 percent (5-17) to 20 percent (3-15) from beyond the arc.
-The Penmen won the glass (41-33) and the paint (38-30), while also featuring a better assist-to-turnover ratio (10/16 – 7/18).

Up Next:
The Penmen are back in action Saturday, Feb. 20 (1:30 p.m.) when they take on Stonehill College (13-12, 8-11 NE-10). The Penmen return home for their regular-season finale when they play host to crosstown-rival Saint Anselm College (16-8, 12-7 NE-10) at the Fieldhouse. Tickets can be purchased HERE or at the box office on the day of the game.

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