RINDGE, N.H. (January 4, 2020) -- The Franklin Pierce University women's basketball took to the court in the Fieldhouse for the first time in 2020 on Saturday afternoon, with hopes of continuing the team's three-game winning streak in a matchup with Northeast-10 Conference opponent Saint Michael's. Despite erasing a 19-point third-quarter deficit and forcing a trio of ties in the fourth quarter, the Ravens were never able to move out front late and suffered a 63-57 defeat at the hands of the Purple Knights.

With the loss, the Ravens move to 6-6 (0-5 NE10), while the Purple Knights' record improves to 7-4 (1-4 NE10).

The Ravens were led in the first quarter by sophomore forwards Emma Carter (Bristol, Vt.) and Izzy Lipinski (Farmington, Conn.), who each had four points each. Lipinski would end up with 24 points, 16 rebounds, and two assists on the afternoon, including a 14-point third quarter. It was Lipinski's second double-double of the season.

Along with Lipinski, junior guard Sophia Holmes (Oakland, Maine) was in double digits on the offensive end of the court, as she finished with 12 points of her own.

The purple knights had three players with double-digit points at the end of the game, and junior guard Nicole Anderson would finish as the team leader with 19. Senior guard Biranna Purcell added 16 points, while sophomore guard Emma MacDonough chipped in 13. Senior forward Taylor Miller supported her team on the back end with 13 rebounds, 10 of which came on the defensive glass.

Out in front by 11 at halftime (32-21), Saint Michael's opened the third quarter on a 12-4 run, to push the lead as high as 19 points (44-25), with 6:15 remaining in the period. From there, Franklin Pierce set out on the comeback trail. Over the next 11:28, the Ravens went on a 28-9 spurt of their own, and ultimately tied the game at 53-53 on a fast-break layup by junior guard Demi Akins (Cambridge, Mass.) with 4:47 remaining in the fourth quarter. Lipinski, who had 14 of her team's 21 third-quarter points, had 14 of the 28 points on the Ravens' run, including a pair of three-point plays.

The game was tied again, at 57-57, on a Lipinski put-back layup with 92 seconds to play, but Saint Michael's took the lead for good on the ensuing possession. Purcell missed a layup, but got fouled while hauling in the offensive rebound and hit both of her free throws. After a Franklin Pierce turnover, Anderson provided the dagger, as she buried a three-pointer with 32 seconds to play to make it 62-57. MacDonough split a pair of free throws in the final five seconds to create the 63-57 final.

The Ravens are back in action at Southern New Hampshire University, for the front end of a three-game road trip on Wednesday, Jan. 8. Game time is set for 5:30 p.m. at Stan Spirou Field House in Manchester, N.H.

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/).