Balanced effort lead Ravens back to win column

Boxscore 

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. (February 10, 2009) - Franklin Pierce University, ranked 25^th in this week's USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Division II poll and second in the NCAA Division II East Regional rankings, returned to the win column with a comfortable 76-63 victory over Merrimack College in Northeast-10 Conference women's basketball action at the Volpe Complex tonight.

Junior All-American and Great Britain international Johannah Leedham (Ellesmere Port, England/Cheshire Academy (Conn.)), the reigning State Farm/WBCA Division II Player of the Year, led a balanced Franklin Pierce effort in which five Ravens reached double-figures with 19 points, shooting 5-for-10 from the field and converting all eight free-throw attempts, to go with six rebounds and five assists. Junior Kirsten Doldoorian (Brimfield, Mass./Oxford) added 15 points off the bench on 5-of-9 shooting from the field, including 3-for-6 from beyond the arc, and converted 2-of-3 free-throws, to go with five rebounds and three assists.

Sophomore Tori Ahrens (East Greenwich, R.I./East Greenwich) posted 14 points, on 5-of-7 shooting from the field while converting all four free-throw attempts, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals, while freshman Marielle Giroud (Martigny, Switzerland) contributed ten points, on 5-for-8 shooting, and seven rebounds. Senior Vanessa Power (Mildura, Australia) chipped in ten points as well.

Senior Amanda Shannon (North Andover, Mass./North Andover) led Merrimack with a game-high 23 points, shooting 9-for-22 from the field, to go with five assists and three steals. Junior Casey Miller (Fairbanks, Alaska/West Valley) added 17 points and five rebounds, while freshman Gennifer Roy (Granby, Mass./Granby) posted ten points and three assists. Freshman Hannah DeGraffinreed (Raleigh, N.C./Millbrook) grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds for the Warriors.

Franklin Pierce, which posted assists on 22 of its 26 field goals for the night, finished shooting 44.1-percent (26-for-59) from the field, including 8-for-20 (40%) from three-point range, and converted 16-of-17 (94.1%) free-throw attempts. Merrimack shot 34.4-percent (22-for-64) from the field, including 8-for-32 (25%) from beyond the arc. The Ravens enjoyed a 45-32 rebounding advantage for the contest, posting 16 rebounds (compared to 18 for the Warriors) on their own end of the court. 

Merrimack held an early three-point lead (7-4) after a Shannon lay-up 3:08 into the game, when Franklin Pierce reeled off a 12-0 run over the next two and a half minutes to open a nine-point lead (16-7) after a Leedham lay-up with 14:22 left in the first half. The Ravens extended their lead to as much as 17 points on two occasions late in the half, before settling on a 14-point (40-26) halftime lead.

Merrimack made a run to get back in the game, drawing within seven (48-41) after a Miller three with 13:11 left that capped an 11-2 spree. Franklin Pierce regained control and answered with a decisive 17-2 run over the next seven minutes to open a game-high 22-point bulge (65-43) after two Leedham free-throws with 6:12 remaining. Doldoorian sparked the run with a pair of three's and the closest the Warriors got the rest of the way was the final margin of 13 points.

Franklin Pierce (17-5, 14-4 NE-10) is back in action on Saturday when it continues its four game road trip at the University of New Haven at 2 p.m. The Ravens return home for their regular season finale against American International on Saturday, February 21, at 1:30 p.m. Merrimack (7-16, 6-12 NE-10) visits Pace University on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.