RINDGE, N.H. (February 22, 2022) – The Franklin Pierce University women's basketball team closed out its regular season at home on Tuesday night in the Fieldhouse, with a Northeast-10 Conference contest against Assumption. Senior Lisa Sulejmani (Burlington, Vt.) dropped 16 points to lead all players in the low-scoring affair, but the Ravens fell, 52-47. Franklin Pierce honored its senior class prior to the start of the game.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce falls to 11-14 (7-12 NE10), while Assumption improves to 12-12 (9-10 NE10). The Ravens have earned the sixth seed in the Northeast Division and will travel to meet Southwest Division third seed Adelphi in the opening round of the NE10 Championship. Weather permitting, the game is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 25, in Garden City, N.Y.

Assumption jumped out to a quick lead to start the game, thanks to a pair of Franklin Pierce turnovers and four points from Amanda Mieczkowski. Senior Emma Carter (Bristol, Vt.) had a block on one end of the court, while fellow senior Rylee Skinner (Leominster, Mass.) converted on a pair of free throws to put an end to the Greyhound run. The Ravens started to find the bottom of the basket with consistency throughout the rest of the period, but struggled to stop the Assumption attack on the other side of the ball. The final minute of the quarter saw Sulejmani bury a pair of shots to bring the Ravens back to within two possessions after the first 10 minutes, as they trailed, 16-12.

Carter started the scoring in the second quarter with a long-range jumper from three-point range, to bring the Ravens back to within one. With a pair of free throws from sophomore Ashley Smith (Holden, Mass.) and a finish from Sulejmani at the rim, Franklin Pierce took its first lead of the game, 19-18, with 6:31 remaining in the half. The Ravens held a four-point lead for long stretches of the period, and forced the Greyhounds to take a timeout following a 10-second back court violation with 2:38 remaining. Assumption tied the game coming out of the timeout and took a one-point lead into halftime, 28-27.

Sulejmani paced the field in the first half with 11 points, while grabbing three rebounds. Sophomore Ines Gimenez Monserrat (Mallorca, Spain) led all players with five rebounds through the first 20 minutes. Armstrong was the leader on the offensive end of the court for the Greyhounds with eight points, but was followed closely by freshman Marina Callahan with six.

The second half started with empty possessions for both teams, but Skinner would eventually start the scoring 1:23 into the period, by shaking two defenders for a finish at the rim. The Greyhounds regained the lead and extended it to seven midway through the period. Junior Monica Spain, who was held scoreless in the first half, amassed six points on the run. Continuing the pressure, Assumption built the lead up to 11, before Sulejmani drained a deep three to cut it back to single digits. The Ravens trailed 44-36 entering the fourth quarter.

The first points of the final quarter did not come until 1:53 into the period, when Skinner converted a pair of free throws. Carter followed with a three-pointer and the Ravens cut the deficit to four (44-40). The Franklin Pierce defense figured out the Assumption offense, forced a pair of turnovers, and grabbed six rebounds in the first half of the quarter. Carter drained a long jumper as the shot clock expired to bring Franklin Pierce back to within three (50-47) with just over one minute remaining, but neither team could find another bucket from there. A pair of late free throws iced it, as the game ended with the Greyhounds on top, 52-47.

Sulejmani finished with a game-high 16 points, while Skinner added 14 and Carter contributed 10. Skinner snagged nine rebounds, as did Monserrat, as they tied each other for the game high. Callahan led Assumption with 14 points, while Armstrong chipped in 10.