STANDOUT PERFORMERS

• Knight – 19 points (6-16 FG, 7-8 FT), 15 rebounds, career-high 5 blocks
• Gordon – career-high 18 points (6-17 FG, 3-6 3-FG, 3-5 FT), 10 rebounds
• Timberlake – 18 points (7-17 FG, 2-8 3-FG, 2-2 FT), 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals

KEY MOMENTS

• Southern New Hampshire led by one a little over three-and-a-half minutes into the contest when a 10-4 push – bookended by Gordon 3-pointers – opened up a 20-13 lead with 3:23 on the clock in the first. Franklin Pierce scored the next five to trim the deficit to 20-18 at the end of the opening quarter.
• After the Ravens evened the score, 20-20, just over 20 seconds into the second quarter, SNHU ripped off a 19-3 run that opened its largest lead of the night at 39-23 with 2:19 to go before halftime. The stretch was fed by six different scorers, including Timberlake, who led the way with five. Gordon and Knight each added four. The Penmen would carry a 39-25 advantage into the break.
• The gap was still 14 with just under four minutes left in the third quarter when Franklin Pierce ended the stanza on 9-3 run that trimmed the margin to 52-44.
• The Ravens would get as close as 59-55 with a little more than five minutes remaining, but SNHU scored 11 of the final 15 points, including key triples from Gordon and senior Julia Colby (So. Paris, Maine), who netted five and four points, respectively, during the game-clinching run.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Colby tallied six points (2-7 FG, 1-3 3-FG, 1-2 FT), four rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals.
• Graduate student Macy Spinks (Luton, United Kingdom) added three points (1-5 FG, 1-4 4-FG), three assists, two rebounds and a steal in her Penmen debut.
• Freshman Abby Wager (Mansfield, Mass.) also scored three points (1-3 FG, 1-2 3-FG) in her first game with the Penmen.
• Junior Sydnie DeVries (Monson, Mass.) chipped in two points (1-4 FG) and four boards.
• Southern New Hampshire outshot Franklin Pierce, 33.8 percent (24-71) to 30.3 percent (23-76), including 34.8 percent (8-23) to 17.4 percent (4-23) from beyond the arc. The Ravens were better at the line, 81.8 percent (9-11) to 73.7 percent (14-19).
• The Penmen scored more points off turnovers (15-9), more second chance points (18-13) and more points on the fast break (17-11), and featured a better assist-to-turnover ratio (13/14-10/17), while the Ravens won the glass (54-46) and the paint (36-22), and received more scoring from their bench (12-6).

NOTES

• Southern New Hampshire captures its season opener for the fourth time in the last five seasons, including the third straight.
• Franklin Pierce leads the all-time series, 59-37, despite SNHU having now won 15 of the last 16 meetings, including 11 straight. The last Franklin Pierce win in the series came Feb. 15, 2017 (76-69) in Rindge. The Penmen have also won 10-in-a-row at home against the Ravens, who have not left SNHU with a victory since Feb. 13, 2013 (73-62).
• Knight's double-double is the 15th of her career, while Gordon's is the third of hers.
• SNHU is now 44-15 (.746) since the start of the 2021-22 season, including 21-8 (.724) at home.
• The Penmen have captured 13 of their last 15 at the Stan Spirou Field House since Nov. 30, 2022, including seven of eight.

WHAT'S NEXT

• The Penmen are back in action Tuesday, Nov. 21 (5:30 p.m.) when they travel across town to take on Saint Anselm College in a game that will air on both WGIR 610-AM and Fox Sports 930-AM.
• The next home contest for SNHU is Wednesday, Nov. 29 (5:30 p.m.) when it plays host to Saint Michael's College at the Stan Spirou Field House in a game that will air on both WGIR 610-AM and Fox Sports 930-AM.