DANBURY, Conn. - Senior center Gabrielle Franks (Madison, Conn.) tallied game-highs of 29 points, five assists and four blocks but the Western Connecticut State University women's basketball team's rally fell just short as they fell to visiting non-conference opponent John Jay College, 78-72, on Saturday afternoon at Feldman Arena. 

Senior guard Nicole Vivian (New Milford, Conn.) added a double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds, while junior guard Nicole Peralta (North Windham, Conn.) chipped in with 13 points for the Wolves.

Junior guard Chayanne Kelly (Harlem, N.Y.) paced the Bloodhounds with 27 points, while senior guard Kamryn Hammond (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) notched a double-double of her own with 13 points and a game-high 17 boards.

The visitors opened the contest with an 18-8 spurt. Hammond put the finishing touches on the run with a shot from beyond-the-arc. However, the Wolves countered with a spurt of their own. Senior guard Maggie Nardini (Sandwich, Mass.) powered in a layup to knot the count at 19-19 heading into the second quarter.

WestConn seized the lead briefly when Franks sank an elbow jumper to make it 25-23. But the Bloodhounds regained the advantage and took a 35-29 lead into halftime when Kelly connected with a midrange jumper.

John Jay reeled off a 16-4 run late in the third quarter before leading by as many as 22 with 6:26 remaining in the fourth. The Wolves came to life and mounted a furious comeback, slicing the deficit to 73-69 when Franks hit a free throw with 42 ticks left on the clock. John Jay widened the gap again before Peralta hit an NBA range trifecta from the left wing, cutting it to a four point advantage yet again with seven seconds left. But the Bloodhounds buried a pair from the stripe to escape with the win.

With the loss, WestConn dropped to 1-3 overall, while John Jay improved to 4-1. The Wolves return to action when they travel to non-league foe Mitchell College on Wednesday at 1 p.m.