Leedham stands at 2,569 points for her career; also tied for
19th in Division II history for career steals with 391
BOXSCORE
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (January 23, 2010) - The No.
1-ranked Franklin Pierce University women's basketball team took
the sting out of the American International College Yellow Jackets
on Saturday with a 65-44 victory in Springfield, Mass. The Ravens
improved to 17-0 overall and 13-0 in the Northeast-10 Conference,
while AIC dipped to 6-12 and 4-9 in league play.
The big news of the day was yet another record that senior
standout Johannah Leedham (Ellesmere Port,
England) broke, this time becoming the program's all-time
leading scorer. She tossed in 17 points to bring her career total
to 2,569, thus surpassing former Franklin Pierce great Sheila
Lindsey, who scored 2,564 points during her fabulous career in
Rindge from 1984-88.
The scoring honor capped another stellar week for Leedham, who
on Tuesday was featured in Sports Illustrated and its
"Faces in the Crowd" section for becoming the NE-10's all-time
leading scorer two weeks ago in both men's and women's basketball
history. She also earned the Northeast-10's Player-of-the-Week
award on Monday, which marked the fifth time overall and the fourth
time in the last five weeks that she earned the prestigious honor.
In addition to Leedham's point total, she also recorded eight
rebounds, four assists and five steals. The thefts gave Leedham 391
for her career, which moved her into a tie for 19th place all-time
in NCAA Division II women's basketball history.
Junior center Tori Ahrens (East Greenwich, R.I.)
tossed in 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the floor, while
freshman Amanda Saab (Windham, N.H.) and junior
Cynthia Gaudet (Coventry, R.I.) chipped in eight
points apiece. Gaudet also swiped three steals.
Marie Li Sicard led all AIC scorers with 11 points.
Franklin Pierce scored the game's first six points, including
four from Leedham, to open up a lead that it would never
relinquish. Gaudet and Ahrens laid in back-to-back baskets moments
later and the Ravens lead was extended to 12-2 with 16:20 remaining
in the half.
AIC did claw back and pull within three at 14-11 four minutes
later following a jumper by Sasha Lowery. However, senior guard
Kirsten Doldoorian (Brimfield, Mass.) answered
with a jumper, which then sparked six-consecutive points from
Leedham and a layup from Ahrens, to put the Ravens up by
double-digits at 24-12 with six-and-a-half minutes left to play in
the period.
Franklin Pierce would continue to build on its double-digit lead
and would go up 31-16 with 2:18 left in the half when Leedham
drained a three-pointer from the right corner. That triple did not
just add to the Ravens lead, but was the actual shot that gave
Leedham the all-time scoring record in program history.
Sophomore forward Jewel White (Worcester, Mass.),
who had did a solid job on the boards in the first half, converted
a layup with only seconds remaining in the half to give the Ravens
a 33-18 lead heading into the locker room at halftime.
The Ravens held a commanding 20-6 edge in points in the paint in
the first half, while also holding a 13-4 advantage in fast-break
points. Franklin Pierce shot a strong 43 percent (12-of-28) from
the field, while limiting the Yellow Jackets to just 24 percent
shooting (7-of-29).
Franklin Pierce kept up the offensive intensity in the opening
stages of the second half and used a layup from Gaudet and a trey
from sophomore forward Marielle Giroud (Martigny,
Switzerland) to take a 38-18 lead two minutes in.
American International would never threaten the rest of the way.
Saab and senior guard Alexis Auffray (Cornwall,
N.Y.) each knocked down three-pointers during the second
half to aid the cause as the Ravens improved to 6-0 since becoming
the nation's top-ranked team back on Jan. 5.
Franklin Pierce returns to action Tuesday night when it plays
host to Adelphi at 5:30 p.m. in The Fieldhouse in Rindge. Fans who
cannot attend the game can follow it online via audio and/or live
stats through the team's page at athletics.franklinpierce.edu(.)
