This Franklin Pierce University women's basketball recap is presented by Belletetes

RINDGE, N.H. (January 12, 2019) – Franklin Pierce University women's basketball freshman forward Izzy Lipinski (Farmington, Conn.) recorded her third double-double of her rookie campaign scoring 10 points while collecting a game and personal-best 14 rebounds during a 63-51 Northeast-10 Conference setback to Le Moyne College Saturday afternoon at The Fieldhouse. With the win, the Dolphins improve to 12-2, 6-2 NE10 while the Ravens dropped their 11th game and are still looking for their first conference win.

Lipinski snared 10 of her 14 boards in the first half and three came on the offensive end. She also dished out two assists, came up with one steal and blocked the lone Raven shot. Teammate Sophia Holmes (Oakland, Maine) was the only other Raven in double-digit points (15). Sophomore forward Claudia Tucci (Trumbull, Conn.) and freshman Rylee Skinner (Leominster, Mass.) excelled off the bench for FPU. Tucci turned in a six point, five rebound, two steals and one assist performance while Skinner manufactured five markers and six caroms.

Three starters for Le Moyne scored in double figures including junior guard McKayla Roberts who racked up 19 points, five rebounds, and one assist. 10 of her 19 markers came via free throw as she was a perfect 10-for-10 (100%) at the line.

Both programs shot a low percentage from the field. Le Moyne made 17-of-52 (32.7%) of their shot attempts compared to 17-of-54 (31.5%) for Franklin Pierce.

The Ravens began the game scoring the first points when freshman guard Lisa Sulejmani (Burlington, Vt.) fed Holmes for a catch and shoot trey on the left wing. Le Moyne immediately answered successfully breaking the Raven press as Corinne Poitevien drove the right side for a layup. Both squads traded three-pointers as the Ravens remained in front 8-5 and sophomore forward Hannah Martin (Woodland Hills, Calif.) capped off five straight markers with a right elbow jumper to expand the Pierce edge to two possessions 10-5 with 3:15 left in the first quarter.

Following a 30 second Le Moyne timeout, the guests connected on a long-range attempt as the shot clock was winding down to make the score 10-8. Their mini-spurt of nine straight points continued with four charity stripe conversions to give them their first lead 12-10, to go with a Cameron Tooley slashing scoop upping the margin to 14-10 as the clock hit zero.

Le Moyne expanded their run to 13-0 by splitting a pair of freebies, and Tooley hit a deep trifecta from the top of the point to make the score 18-10. Holmes temporarily stopped the binge by absorbing contact with no foul called and pushing home a layup off a designed inbounds play. The Ravens cut their deficit to five, 19-15 when Lipinski was hacked cleaning up a missed Raven layup attempt. She failed to make the free throw with 7:08 left before the break.  

The Ravens stopped play taking a timeout and drew up a play for Lipinski down on the lower right block. She dumped in the layup bringing the margin to 19-16 at the 5:40 mark. Six consecutive points for Le Moyne including a Roberts trailing top of the point three gave the Dolphins a nine-point, 25-16 lead with 2:44 remaining. Tooley knocked home her second three-pointer of the game, which established the Dolphins first double-digit lead of the showdown 28-18 with 49 ticks left on the clock. Tucci wrapped up the first half scoring collecting an offensive rebound and draining two freebies as the Ravens were behind 28-20 at the intermission.

Both squads struggled with their shooting stroke in the first half. Le Moyne connected on 8-of-29 (27.6%) of their shot attempts while the Ravens converted 7-of-28 (25.0%).

Lipinski began the third quarter by heading to the line and knocking down two free throws. Le Moyne responded with an 8-0 binge as Roberts kicked things off burying a trey and making two freebies while good ball movement found Jenna Zimmerman on the right wing for another long-range shot to up the score to 36-22 two minutes into the period.

Behind by 14, the Ravens brought the deficit to 10, following two sophomore guard Demi Akins (Cambridge, Mass.) freebies and a Lipinski spinning lay-in while she was fouled, however she back-rimmed the free throw making the score 40-30 with four minutes left in the quarter. One possession later, Holmes came up short on a three-pointer, Lipinski snagged the loose rock while Holmes cut to the basket. Lipinski delivered a perfect pass to her cutting teammate to bring the margin back into single digits, 40-32. Le Moyne increased their advantage to 11, 44-33 following the conclusion of the third.

The Dolphins 8-1 spurt carried over into the fourth quarter when a technical foul was called on the Ravens and Roberts dropped in two free throws giving her squad their largest lead to this point 48-33 just a minute into the quarter. Holmes sank a mid-range jumper bringing the margin back to 13, 48-35. Another Raven was "teed up" and Roberts again notched two charity stripe conversions. Akins found sophomore forward Freya Cooney (Woodbridge, England) down low on a cut and her classmate made the layup and the and1. The Raven press forced a turnover which resulted in a Holmes hoop and harm minus the free throw cutting the deficit to 10, 50-40 at the 7:17 mark.

LMC's advantage hovered around 10-12 points until a third technical foul was called on the Ravens this quarter. Roberts scored two at the line increasing the score to 56-42. Roberts third trey of the contest with 1:43 left iced the game for the Dolphins.

The Ravens remain home and in league play when they welcome Pace University to campus Wednesday for a 5:30 p.m. tip-off.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). 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 women's basketball apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store). You can also follow the women's basketball team on Twitter (https://twitter.com/FPURavensWBB) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/franklin_pierce_wbb/).