Jo. Leedham nets game-high 30 to lead Ravens into sole possession of first place in NE-10 standings

Boxscore 

RINDGE, N.H. (February 4, 2009) - Franklin Pierce University, ranked 24^th in this week's USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Division II poll and second in the NCAA Division II East Regional rankings, took over sole possession of first place in the Northeast-10 Conference women's basketball standings with an 81-71 triumph over No. 11 Stonehill College, the region's top-ranked team, at the Fieldhouse tonight.

Franklin Pierce, which has now won ten-straight and 12 of 13, was led by 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, who posted a game-high 30 points (17 second half) on 12-of-21 shooting from the field, including 4-for-7 from three-point range, converting both free-throw attempts, to go with five assists, five steals and four blocked shots. It marks the 21^st 30-point outing of her career and the 54^th time she has eclipsed 20 points.

Senior Jennifer Leedham (Ellesmere Port, England/Cheshire Academy (Conn.)) added 15 points (12 second half), aided by 7-for-8 shooting at the free-throw line, six assists, four rebounds and two steals. Junior Kirsten Doldoorian (Brimfield, Mass./Oxford) made 4-of-5 shots from the field, including 3-for-3 from beyond the arc, to finish with 11 points (all first half), while sophomore Tori Ahrens (East Greenwich, R.I./East Greenwich) chipped in nine points, six rebounds (four offensive), two assists and two steals. Freshman Marielle Giroud (Martigny, Switzerland) made all four shots from the field and her lone free-throw attempt to add nine points, five rebounds and three assists.

Sophomore Kristen McWhirter (Melvin Village, N.H./New Hampton Prep) led a balanced Stonehill effort with 21 points (15 second half) on 7-for-11 shooting from the field, including 4-for-8 from beyond the arc, hitting 3-of-4 free-throws to go with five rebounds, three assists and two steals. Senior Bethany Tighe (North Easton, Mass./Oliver Ames) notched a double-double with 14 points and a game-high 12 rebounds (five offensive), while junior Megan Methven (Corning, N.Y./Corning Painted-Post East) added 13 points and three assists off the bench. Sophomore Emily Rousseau (Biddeford, Maine/Biddeford) chipped in 11 points, three assists and two steals.

Franklin Pierce shot over 52-percent from the field in each half, finishing at 52.7-percent (29-for-55), including 11-for-19 (57.9%) from three-point range. Stonehill finished shooting 42.4-percent (25-for-59) from the field, but just 9-for-23 (39.1%) from beyond the arc. The Ravens posted a 33-31 rebounding advantage.

The game was back and forth over the opening minutes, with Stonehill leading 11-10 after a lay-up from sophomore Amanda Smith (Penacook, N.H./Merrimack Valley) 4:17 into the contest. While that proved to be the last time Stonehill would lead, the Skyhawks would prove to not go down quietly. Eight-straight Franklin Pierce points, led by a conventional three-point play by Giroud and a three-ball from Doldoorian, had the Ravens up seven (18-11) with 14:28 to go in the half.

Methven answered the run with a three, but Franklin Pierce used a 7-2 spurt over the next three minutes to gain a nine-point advantage (25-16) after another Doldoorian three with 11:58 to play in the half. Doldoorian totaled five points in all during that stretch. Stonehill clipped the lead back to four-points (25-21) with 10:56 remaining on a Tighe lay-up and Methven three. 

Franklin Pierce's lead was six (31-25) after two Rousseau free-throws with 7:10 remaining, when the Ravens built their lead into double-figures for the first time with a 12-2 burst that produced a 16-point cushion (43-27) after a three by Johannah Leedham with 1:14 on the clock. Doldoorian also chipped in a three, while Giroud had four points during that stretch.

Franklin Pierce settled for a 14-point (43-29) halftime lead, then looked to break the game open when an 11-2 run pushed its lead to a game-high 21 points (54-33) after a Johannah Leedham three with 12:57 to go.

However, Stonehill wouldn't go down quietly, trimming the Franklin Pierce advantage to 12 (54-42) with a 9-0 run in the span of just 1:54 after a Tighe lay-up with 11:03 on the clock. Methven buried a three and Tighe also added a conventional three-point play during the stretch. Three's from Jennifer and Johannah Leedham helped the Ravens regain a 17-point edge (64-47) with 8:14 to go.

Franklin Pierce still held that 17 point margin (72-55) after a Johannah Leedham lay-up with 4:29 to play, but Stonehill had one more run in it. Two Methven free-throws capped a 9-2 run that cut the Skyhawks deficit to ten (74-64) with 1:56 to play. A Rousseau lay-up drew the lead to nine (77-68) with 47-seconds remaining, but Franklin Pierce did its job at the free-throw line, converting 7-of-8 tries over the final 97-second seconds, including four-straight by Jennifer Leedham in the closing 46-seconds, to hold off the challenge.

Franklin Pierce (16-4, 13-3 NE-10) is back in action on Saturday when it hosts Bentley University, ranked sixth in the region, at 1:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on WEEI 93.5 FM Keene. Stonehill (17-4, 12-4 NE-10) hosts Southern New Hampshire University on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.