RINDGE, N.H. (January 25, 2022) – Trailing by one in the closing seconds on Tuesday night, sophomore Ines Gimenez Monserrat (Mallorca, Spain) found the basket to lift the Franklin Pierce University women's basketball team to a 53-52 win over Northeast-10 Conference opponent Pace University, at home in the Fieldhouse. The winning bucket was the last of Monserrat's six points on the night, while sophomore Gisela Vazquez Segura (Igualada, Spain) and senior Emma Carter (Bristol, Vt.) led three Ravens in double digits with 14 apiece.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 7-6 (3-4 NE10), while Pace falls to 14-3 (8-2 NE10).

Neither team was able to get the offense flowing in the first half. The Setters took a one-point lead into the intermission (21-20) after shooting 25.8% from the field (8-for-31) in the opening two quarters, while the Ravens were not much better, at 28.6% from the floor (8-for-28). While the offense was not firing, the defense between the two teams filled out the first-half stat sheet, as the Ravens posted three blocks, while the Setters collected three steals.

The third quarter proved to be more fruitful on the offensive end, particularly for the Ravens, who posted a 17-14 edge in the stanza. Thanks to a trio of three-pointers and a team field-goal percentage of 41.2% in the period (7-for-17), the score moved to 37-35 in favor of Franklin Pierce heading into the final quarter of play.

The two sides combined for 33 points in the final 10 minutes, as the fourth quarter proved to be the most offensive period of the afternoon. There would be six lead changes in the fourth quarter alone, with the fifth one allowing Pace to take a 52-51 lead with just 10 seconds remaining, thanks to a jumper from sophomore Katumina Mansaray.

Following a timeout, senior Lisa Sulejmani (Burlington, Vt.) held the ball on the outside of the three-point line. Sulejmani had her drive denied, but pulled up and found Monserrat just to the right of the free throw line. With the clock ticking down, Gimenez Monserrat took two steps towards the basket and floated the ball through the net to put the Ravens up 53-52. The Setters ran their final play for graduate student Lauren Schetter, but her desperation shot came up empty, and the Ravens came away with the one-point win.

For the game, Franklin Pierce shot 36.8% from the field (21-for-57). Segura and Carter led the way on the offensive end, as the former shot 6-for-13 and collected 14 points, while the the latter went 5-for-11 on the way to 14 points of her own. Sulejmani was a rebound short of recording a double-double with a 12-point, nine-rebound and four-assist stat line in 37 minutes of work.

The Setters were led by senior Lauren Hackett and Mansaray, with 12 and 10 points respectfully. Schetter grabbed a team-best 10 rebounds and was a +9 while on the court, while being one point shy of a double-double after a nine-point outing.

The Ravens will return to the court on Thursday, with an NE10 matchup with the Le Moyne College Dolphins. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at the Fieldhouse.