WORCESTER, Mass.—The No. 6 seeded Assumption University women's basketball team used a strong defensive effort as they rallied from down 14 in the second quarter to defeat the No. 11 seeded Franklin Pierce 65-53 in the Northeast-10 Conference First Round, Friday evening
THE BASICS:
Score: Assumption University 65, Franklin Pierce University 53
Records: Greyhounds (17-12, 9-11 NE10), Ravens (9-18, 6-14 NE10)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Franklin Pierce came out red hot as they shot 64.3 percent (9-of-14) from the field and 83.3 percent (5-of-6) from long range to race out to a 23-11 lead after 10 minutes. The Ravens continued to see their lead grow into the second quarter, as Colette Mulderig's jumper, with 3:09 remaining in the frame, pushed the FPU lead to 14 points (31-17). The Greyhounds closed the quarter strong, as they went on an 11-4 run with
Marina Callahan leading the way with four points, sending the game into halftime with the Ravens maintaining a 35-28 lead.
After allowing Franklin Pierce to shoot 51.8 percent (14-of-27) in the first half, the Hounds defense locked down the third, holding them to just 3-of-14 (21.4 percent) from the field and turned six FPU turnovers into 15 Assumption points. Trailing 39-32, the Greyhounds went on a 10-0 run to capture the lead for the first time since the opening basket.
In the fourth, the Ravens closed the deficit down to one point (50-49) following a pair of free throws by Mulderig, but Assumption closed out the game strong, with Callahan and
Molly Stokes combining for 12 points and going 6-for-6 at the charity stripe to pull away for a 65-53 final score.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Marina Callahan tied for a game-high 16 points while adding eight boards, five assists, and three blocks.
- Molly Stokes (13) and Kajihe Hall (11) joined Callahan in the double-digit club.
- Laura Johnson-Shedd stuffed the stat sheet, recording seven points, three rebounds, three assists, one block, and one steal.
- Franklin Pierce outrebounded Assumption 40-28, but the Greyhounds outscored the Ravens 30-20 in the paint.
- After allowing nine baskets in the first quarter, the Hounds defense locked down to allow just eight in the final three quarters.
- This is the second straight year that the Greyhounds have ended the Raven's season, as they eliminated them in the first round of the NCAA Tournament (58-43).
- Assumption leads the all-time series 32-18.
UP NEXT:
- Assumption at No. 3 New Haven, Sunday, March 2, 2:00 pm– NE10 Quarterfinals
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