Tweet #gogoldenknights

---

ALBANY-The College of Saint Rose roared back from a 20 point, late second period deficit to upend Northeast-10 Conference rival Franklin Pierce 69-68 today at the Daniel P. Nolan Gymnasium. The Golden Knights furthermore outscored the Ravens 32-19 in the fourth to secure the victory.
 
Sophomore forward Zoe McDonald was fouled after hauling in an offensive rebound and calmly drained both of her free throws with 15 seconds left to make it 67-66 Saint Rose (10-6/5-5 NE10) with both squads out of timeouts.
 
Franklin Pierce sophomore guard Sarah Middleton then scored a layup at the other end to put the Ravens (2-13/0-10 NE10) back up by one with eight ticks left. However, the Golden Knights pushed the ball up the floor and senior guard Taylor Nazon finished inside in the waning seconds to secure the victory. Franklin Pierce could only throw up a desperation heave as the buzzer sounded.
 
"I was disappointed in our lethargic first half performance and the fact that we didn't follow our game plan at all," said head coach Karen Haag. "However, I am proud of our second half effort and certainly the huge plays by Taylor and Zoe at the end. We showed great presence of mind on our last possession and ran our special situations really well. We ground it out, but we can't spot teams 20 point leads."
 
Sophomore guard Ashley Vanderwall tossed in a career-high 19 points and also handed out four assists to lead Saint Rose. She was subsequently accorded the annual Capital District Chapter of the Alumni Association Player of the Game honors.
 
Also, sophomore forward Karissa Birthwright finished with 10 points and eight rebounds, while senior forward Staci Barrett mirrored that effort behind eight points and 10 boards. Junior guard Britani Stowe finished with eight points and six assists, while McDonald wound up with seven points and four boards in a mere nine minutes off the bench.
 
For Franklin Pierce, junior guard Jemma Thacker led four double-figure scorers with 18 points and nine caroms. Middleton finished with 15 while senior forward Mikayla Deguire and freshman guard Cameryn Wilson tossed in 11 apiece.
 
Looking ahead, the Golden Knights are back home Wednesday to face conference rival Merrimack. The first half of the NE10 doubleheader is scheduled to get underway at 5:30 pm. It will be Saint Rose Community Night will all faculty, staff and their immediate families admitted free. Meanwhile, the Ravens are also home Wednesday with a 5:30 pm meeting versus conference rival New Haven.

---

Notes: The Golden Knights have won eight of their last 10 games…Nazon has been in double-figures scoring throughout 15 of the squad's 16 contests, including 13 straight…Balance is a component with four players averaging between 14.1 and 10.6 points with Nazon leading the way.

---

Sign up for our E-Newsletter for the latest news by clicking here, and for information on the Golden Knights Club, click here. Follow us on Twiter, Facebook, and Instagram.