WEST HAVEN, Conn. (February 1, 2020) – Sophia Holmes (Oakland, Maine) poured in a game-high 18 points, however, her potential game-tying three-point attempt with seven seconds remaining missed long as the Franklin Pierce University women's basketball team fell short to the University of New Haven, 64-59 at the Charger Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon in Northeast-10 Conference action. The loss drops the Ravens to 9-11, 3-10 in NE10 play entering the second half of divisional competition while the Chargers improve to 14-6, 8-5 NE10.

Holmes led a trio of starters to notch 10+ points while shooting a robust 45.5% from long range, distributing three assists and grabbing a pair of steals. Izzy Lipinski (Farmington, Conn.) recorded her sixth double-double of the season and 12th of her career dropping 14 points, 12 of which came in the second half to go with 10 boards, and a team-high four dimes. Meanwhile, Lisa Sulejmani (Burlington, Vt.), continued her strong stretch of play falling just short of a double-double with 14 points and a personal-high tying nine rebounds to go with a block and a steal.

Three players scored double figures for New Haven lead by Brie Pergola who scored 16 points, 14 in the second half, while snaring six rebounds and five assists. Jasmine White notched a double-double with 15 points and 10 boards as Micah Wormack recorded 12 points in the win.

New Haven outshot the Ravens 38.3% to 32.1%, but Franklin Pierce shot better from long range 38.1% to 28.6% and made more free throws 17 to 12. The Chargers took advantage of their extra opportunities however scoring 15 second-chance points against eight for Franklin Pierce and outscoring the Ravens 18-8 off turnovers.

Pergola broke the ice with a put-back layup on the Chargers' first possession before Holmes buried a triple to get the Ravens on the board. Both teams had a tough go of it out of the gates however as those were the only points scored by either side in the first three minutes of play. After New Haven snatched an 8-6 advantage, Franklin Pierce proceeded to score eight of the next ten points before Wormack finished a layup with six seconds left in the quarter to make the score 14-12 Ravens after the first. Holmes came out firing with nine points on 3-of-4 from long range in the stanza.

After Aurora Deshaies tied the score with a putback layup to open the second quarter Holmes reasserted the Franklin Pierce advantage with her fourth trifecta of the half. After a Bionca Chambers layup, Emma Carter (Bristol, Vt.) matched the Ravens' largest lead of the afternoon with a three-ball that put Franklin Pierce ahead 20-16. The Chargers proceeded to go on a 14-4 run to go ahead however Sulejmani hit a free throw and a jumper over the final minute of the half to make the score 30-27 at the break. The Ravens only shot 28% from the field in the first half while New Haven failed to make a three-pointer in their ten attempts.

The Chargers came out of the half firing scoring the first ten points of the third quarter to open up their largest lead of the game, 40-27. Franklin Pierce then scored seven consecutive points then Pergola buried a triple to make it a ten-point advantage. The two teams traded points the rest of quarter when Pergola made a three with six seconds to go as the Chargers held a 51-41 lead after three quarters. New Haven caught fire making five of their seven three-point attempts in the stanza while Pergola produced nine points in the frame.

A three-ball by Camryn DeBose with just under seven minutes remaining gave the Chargers a 56-45 edge but then the Ravens began to chip away at the Charger lead beginning with five straight points by Sulejmani on a pair of free throws and a corner three to get the crimson and grey within two possessions. After Wormack made a pair of free throws, Holmes converted on a three-point play the old fashion way and Lipinski sunk a free throw to get the Ravens within four points with just under four minutes remaining. A Holmes steal in the backcourt lead to Rylee Skinner (Leominster, Mass.) splitting a pair from the charity stripe to get the Ravens within three points. The teams then split the next eight points until Skinner grabbed a clutch steal with 28 seconds remaining and the Ravens still down just three points. Out of the timeout, Holmes could not connect on a straightaway three however, Lipinski snatched the offensive board leading to Holmes getting a clean look from the corner. Her shot missed long, and Pergola made a pair of free throws to ice the game.

Franklin Pierce looks to get back on track when they return to the Fieldhouse to host in-state rival Southern New Hampshire University on Tuesday night. Tip-off is set for 5:30.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://www.fpuravens.com). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens ), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (https://shopfpuravens.com). You can also follow the women's basketball team on Twitter (https://twitter.com/FPURavensWBB) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/franklin_pierce_wbb/).