Junior All-American Johannah Leedham, the reigning State Farm/WBCA
Player of the Year, returned to the lineup with a game-high 27
points, including 20 in the first half alone.
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Jo. Leedham returns to lead Ravens with game-high 27
points
Boxscore
MESA, Ariz. (December 29,
2008) - Franklin Pierce University, ranked No. 23 in the
most recent USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Division II poll, rolled to an
85-59 victory over 15th-ranked Shippensburg University
on day one of the 2008 Trip Sports Grand Canyon Classic at Skyline
High School late Sunday night.
Junior All-American and Great
Britain international Johannah Leedham (Ellesmere Port,
England/Cheshire Academy (Conn.)) returned to the Franklin
Pierce lineup after a minor injury and poured in a game-high 27
points (20 first half) in 23 minutes as she hit 9-of-15 shots from
the field, including 3-for-6 from three-point range, and converted
all six free-throw attempts. She also added six rebounds, two
assists and two blocked shots for the Ravens.
Sophomore Tori Ahrens (East
Greenwich, R.I./East Greenwich) notched her first
double-double of the season for the Ravens (third career) with ten
points and a game and season-best 12 rebounds in 16 minutes. Senior
Toby Martin (Wayne, Maine/Maranacook) added 12
points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field, including 2-for-2 from
three-point range, to go with three assists.
Sophomore Tori Ahrens posted her first double-double of the season
(3rd career) with a season-high 12 rebounds to go with ten
points.
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Junior Lauren Beckley
(Fairfield, Pa./Fairfield) nearly matched Leedham's
scoring effort, but got little support from her Shippensburg
teammates, as she posted a double-double performance of 26 points
(18 second half) and ten rebounds to go with a blocked shot. She
made 10-of-21 shots from the field, including 4-for-5 from beyond
the arc, while converting 2-of-3 free-throw attempts in 33 minutes
of play. Senior Elise Mercer (Bishopville, Md./Stephen
Decatur) chipped in eight points and three assists for the
Raiders.
Franklin Pierce shot 49.2-percent
(29-of-59) from the field, including 50% (15-30) in the second
half, while making 8-of-19 (42.1%) three-point attempts (6-11,
54.5% in the second half). The Ravens held Shippensburg to
37.5-percent (24-of-64) shooting from the field, including 29%
(9-of-31) in the first half to build a 38-21 lead at the break and
never looked back. Franklin Pierce turned the ball over just 12
times, posting a 21-10 advantage in points off turnovers.
Franklin Pierce led by four (10-6)
after a layup from Shippensburg sophomore Kasey Gardner
(Sharpsville, Pa./Sharpsville) seven minutes into the
first half. The Ravens used a 12-2 run over the next four minutes
to open a 14-point advantage after a Leedham fastbreak layup with
9:05 left. Leedham scored eight of the Ravens 12 points during that
stretch in all.
Senior Toby Martin chipped in 12 points and three assists.
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A Mercer layup had Shippensburg
back within seven (27-20) with 3:47 to go in the half, but Franklin
Pierce closed the half with an 11-1 spurt to carry a 17-point lead
into the lockerroom (38-21), capped by a pair of Leedham
free-throws with 18-seconds left. She also buried two free-throws
during that stretch.
Leading by 13 after a Mercer layup
30 seconds into the second half, Franklin Pierce gained its first
20-point lead (49-29) after a Martin three with 16:43 left. A
Beckley jumper had Shippensburg down by 16 (49-33) with 15:58
remaining, when Franklin Pierce broke the game open for good with a
13-2 run over the next four minutes to take a 27-point lead (62-35)
after a layup from senior Melissa Kapela (Queens,
N.Y./Christ the King). The Ravens lead would never get
within 20 points the rest of the way, growing to as much as 30 at
one point.
Franklin Pierce (6-3, 4-3 NE-10) is
back in action on Tuesday night when it faces Grand Canyon
University at 10 p.m. (EST). The Ravens return home on Sunday,
January 4, to host Wilmington (Del.) University at 1 p.m.
Shippensburg (6-2, 0-0 PSAC) faces Gannon University tonight at 8
p.m. (EST).
