WORCESTER, Mass. – The Assumption University women's basketball team fell to Southern New Hampshire by a 73-68 decision on Saturday afternoon at Laska Gymnasium.

The first quarter was a seesaw battle which featured six lead changes and four ties between the teams. After Jenna Roche drilled a 3-pointer from the left corner to give the Penmen an 8-4 advantage, the Greyhounds came right back by continuing to look down low. Senior Ja'Lyn Armstrong (Baltimore, Md.) tied the game at 10-10 with a lefty layup, and the hosts went ahead for the first time when graduate student Meghan Cramb (New Boston, N.H.) converted two free throws with 5:43 on the clock.

Ariana Koivisto, however, put the Penmen up for the remainder of the frame by sinking two charity shots to break an 18-all tie, and another trifecta by Roche extended the lead to five with a minute left. Despite shooting 75 percent from the field, the Greyhounds found themselves down 25-22 after 10 minutes of action.

Southern New Hampshire (15-4, NE-10 9-3) maintained a narrow advantage throughout the second quarter while being challenged throughout by the hosts. Karlee Ziliak hit a jumper to make it 32-24 with 6:12 remaining, but the Greyhounds came right back and sliced the margin down to a single possession at 32-29 on a trey by junior Monica Spain (Braintree, Mass.) at the midway point.

However, the Penmen responded by getting a 3-pointer from Gyanna Russell to move ahead by seven at the 3:07 mark. It was also the graduate student's 1,000th career point. The shot gave the visitors an extra spark, a 38-36 advantage at the break, and momentum heading into the second half.

Southern New Hampshire dominated the third quarter and opened the frame on a 15-2 to break the game open. Roche, Adriana Timberlake, and Meg Knollmeyer all drilled shots from beyond the arc during the stretch to give the Penmen a commanding 53-38 lead with 6:14 on the clock.

The Greyhounds stormed back and brought the margin down to five on a pair of free throws by Armstrong which made it 58-53 heading into the final frame. The Penmen lead then shrinked to one at the 7:05 mark of the fourth on a Cramb jumper, and a 3-pointer by Cramb from the left arc tied the score at 64 with five minutes left. Spain then converted a layup from the right side, giving the hosts their first lead since it was 16-15 in the first quarter, and prompting a Penmen timeout with 4:05 left.

Beginning with a Knollmeyer putback coming out of the break, the teams then went back-and-forth for the remainder of the contest which set up a photo finish. With the Greyhounds trailing 69-68 and just 19.6 seconds on the clock, Armstrong missed a pair of free throws which would have put the hosts ahead. Instead, they found themselves having to foul, and Ziliak came through on both of her chances to make it a three-point margin.

Assumption called a timeout and drew up a play in an attempt to tie and force overtime, but it didn't work out. Senior Lauren Hammersley (Garden City, N.Y.) missed a 3-pointer from the right arc, and Ziliak came down with the rebound. The graduate student then made a free throw at the other end with 5.7 seconds on the clock to put the game on ice.

Knollmeyer recorded a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds to lead the way for Southern New Hampshire. She also recorded a game-high five steals. Ziliak netted 13, and Russell finished 12 points as part of her milestone afternoon. Timberlake posted 11 points and five assists.

Armstrong paced Assumption in the loss with 21 points by shooting 8-of-9 from the floor and sinking five free throws. Cramb contributed 14 points, five rebounds and two steals, while Spain finished with 11 points and two blocks. Spain also pulled down five boards.

Assumption (9-10, NE-10 6-8) will next travel to face Saint Michael's on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.