Press Release

BENCH PRODUCTION LEADS FRANKLIN PIERCE TO 75-65 WIN Trio of runs spell trouble for Purple Knights FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                              FOR MORE INFORMATION January 6, 2004                                                                                Contact: Seth Cole                                                                                                        Phone: (802) 654-2537 RINDGE, N.H. - Despite a career-high 24 points from sophomore Brigid Hegarty (North Andover, Mass./Central Catholic), Saint Michael's College fell to Franklin Pierce College, 75-65, in Northeast-10 Conference women's basketball action on Tuesday at F.P.C. Fieldhouse. The Ravens (6-5 overall, 2-5 NE-10) won despite receiving just 20 points from its starters, as three seniors combined for 43 points off the bench. Tara Bligh (Milton, Mass.) notched a team-high 17 points, classmate Susan Ocitti (Cambridge, Mass.) added 15 points and a team-best seven rebounds, and Erin Bailey (North Grafton, Mass.) chipped in 11 points on four-of-four shooting from the field. For the Purple Knights, Hegarty hit a career-high five three-pointers and tallied 17 of her points after intermission. Senior Lindsey Bradt (Albany, N.Y./Bishop Maginn) tallied a season-high 20 points, while freshman Jevy Rayner (Westminster, Vt./Bellows Falls Union) contributed 11 points and a game-high eight rebounds. Saint Michael's (5-6, 2-6) received just four points from its non-starters, all by junior Julia Boynton (Concord, N.H./Concord). In a game filled with runs, it was a 16-0 stretch spanning the end of the first half and the beginning of the second period that turned a 27-23 Franklin Pierce lead into a 43-23 advantage. Saint Michael's committed four turnovers during that stretch. Refusing to go quietly, the Purple Knights scored the next 17 points, including eight by Bradt and seven by Hegarty, to pull within 43-40 with 13:45 remaining. The Ravens then seized momentum, reeling off 12 straight points to regain their double-digit advantage, 55-40, with 11 minutes to go. Once again, Saint Michael's responded, scoring 11 consecutive points over the next 3:30, including four free throws by freshman Dani Rayner (Westminster, Vt./Bellows Falls Union), to cut its deficit to 55-51. The see-saw battle shifted back to Franklin Pierce, whose back-breaking 11-1 run pushed the lead to 66-52, and the shorthanded Purple Knights could not pull within single digits in the final five minutes. Saint Michael's looks to snap its two-game losing streak on Thursday, as the Purple Knights host league-leader Bentley College at 5:30 p.m. at the Ross Sports Center. The Falcons are 40-0 lifetime versus its Northeast-10 Conference rivals. ###PURPLEKNIGHTS###

For more information please contact the SMC Sports Information Office at (802) 654-2537
Last Revised: October 25, 2002