Ravens drop back-to-back games by double-digit margins for just the first time since the 2005-06 season

LOWELL, Mass. (December 10, 2011) -- The No. 12 nationally-ranked Franklin Pierce University women's basketball team was stunned by UMass-Lowell on Saturday as the River Hawks used a second-half rally to pull off a 77-65 upset victory at the Costello Athletic Center in Lowell, Mass. The Ravens fell to 6-2 and 5-2 in the Northeast-10, while UMass-Lowell improved to 4-5 and 3-4 in league play.

Senior forward Marielle Giroud (Martigny, Switzerland) pumped in a team-high 19 points for the Ravens, while also logging a double-double with 10 rebounds. She now stands just 15 points shy of 1,000 for her career and will become the 21st player in program history to accomplish the feat. Classmate Jewel White (Worcester, Mass.) had 14 points and seven rebounds to aid the Franklin Pierce effort.

Bianca Simmons threw in 20 points for the River Hawks, while Sha'Nay Bushner followed with 19 points and seven boards. Brianna Calver added 11 points, four rebounds and three assists.

It marked the second-straight game that Franklin Pierce saw the opposition go on a furious second half rally to pull off a come-from-behind victory, as top-ranked Bentley used a late 29-6 run to close out a 73-59 win on Wednesday night in Rindge. 

Saturday's game versus Lowell saw Franklin Pierce holding a 48-42 lead with 12:08 remaining in the game, but the River Hawks answered by scoring nine-consecutive points to grab a 51-48 lead. Bushner sparked the surge with four-straight points on a layup and a pair of free throws, and Brianna Wilson converted a pair of free throws to cap the 9-0 run.

Lowell continued its hot shooting and scored 12 of the next 14 points to open up a double-digit lead at 63-50 with 5:44 to go. Busher netted five points during the run and Sarah Bennett capped it with a driving layup. The River Hawks never let their lead slip below double-digits the rest of the way and led by as many as 15 points.

Franklin Pierce outrebounded Lowell for the game by a count of 41-35, but the River Hawks held the advantage on the glass in the second half, and thus, outscored the Ravens, 16-0, in second chance points. Lowell also had a 16-10 edge in points in the paint for the second 20 minutes.

The 12-point defeat was also rare for the Ravens as it marked the first time since the 2005-06 season that Franklin Pierce dropped back-to-back games by double-digit margins.

Giroud led all scorers with 14 points in the first half, while also pulling down seven rebounds. Bushner netted 10 to lead the River Hawks. Both teams shot well in the opening 20 minutes as the Ravens knocked down 46 percent of their shots (12-of-26), while Lowell was 43 percent from the floor (13-of-30).

The River Hawks held a 23-19 advantage with 4:34 left until halftime, but Franklin Pierce countered with an 11-0 run over the next two minutes to grab a 30-23 lead. Giroud scored all but two points during the run as White added a pair of free throws. Franklin Pierce held a 35-31 lead going into the locker room at halftime.

Franklin Pierce returns to action next Sunday when the Ravens travel to face Dowling at 12 p.m.

For more information on Franklin Pierce women's basketball, please visit the team's page at athletics.franklinpierce.edu(.) To follow the program even further, please visit Franklin Pierce Athletics on YouTube (www.youtube.com/FranklinPierceSports), Twitter (www.twitter.com/FPUathletics) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceAthletics).