All 10 Ravens that played scored in the game

BOXSCORE

RINDGE, N.H. (December 1, 2010) – The No. 7-nationally ranked Franklin Pierce University women's basketball team exploded for 50 points in the second half to pull away for an 80-45 triumph over Merrimack on Wednesday night at The Fieldhouse in Rindge, N.H. The Ravens improved to 7-0 overall and 4-0 in the Northeast-10 Conference, while the Warriors dipped to 2-3 and 1-2 in league play.

All 10 Ravens that played during the contest scored, including sophomore guard Tiffany Johnson (St. Albans, Vt.), who pumped in a game-high 15 points, marking the third time in the last four games she has scored in double-figures.

Junior forward Marielle Giroud (Martigny, Switzerland) added 14 points, six rebounds, five assists and a block. She shot 2-of-3 from the floor and went a perfect 10-for-10 from the foul line.

Junior center Jewel White (Worcester, Mass.) logged her fifth double-double of the season with 13 points and 14 rebounds, while handing out a pair of assists and swiping a steal.

Junior guard Lekia Cowen (Hopedale, Mass.) chipped in eight points, while sophomore backcourt-mate Jordan Grant (Concord, N.H.) added seven points, including going 2-for-3 from behind the arc. Freshman guard Kate McDonald (Fall River, Mass.) also tossed in seven points.

Sophomore forward Amanda Saab (Windham, N.H.) had a solid all-around game with six points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals. Freshman guard Brittany Martelle (Brookfield, Conn.) also netted six points, while freshmen Jessica Hurd (Kegworth, England) and Brooke Coderre (Woonsocket, R.I.) tallied two points apiece.

Franklin Pierce shot a solid 43 percent (23-of-54) from the field, while limiting Merrimack to just 33 percent shooting (19-of-57).

Kelly Schatzlein was the lone Warrior to post double-figures in scoring as she had 14 points.

The first half and the opening minutes of the second half saw a tightly contested affair as the Ravens held a slim 36-30 advantage with 17:39 left to play.

But from that point on, it was all Franklin Pierce as the Ravens went on a 44-15 run the rest of the way to pull out the victory.

Saab sparked the run with a three-pointer from the left wing, while Johnson would drain back-to-back triples moments later. Franklin Pierce pushed its lead out to 20 at 57-37 with 8:57 left following a lay up from White.

The Ravens led by as many as 37 in the waning seconds as they cruised on for the victory. The win avenged last season's 71-64 setback to Merrimack in The Fieldhouse, as that loss was the only one for the Ravens during the regular season.

Franklin Pierce shot 53 percent (16-of-30) from the floor in the second 20 minutes, while also knocking down 9-of-18 attempts (50 percent) from three-point range.

The Ravens went 23-of-25 from the free throw line for the game, while also assisting on 21 of their 23 field goals made.

Franklin Pierce returns to action Saturday when the Ravens travel to Waltham, Mass. to face Bentley at 1:30 p.m.

For more information on Franklin Pierce women's basketball, please visit the team's page at athletics.franklinpierce.edu(.) To follow the program even further, please visit Franklin Pierce Athletics on YouTube (www.youtube.com/FranklinPierceSports), Twitter (www.twitter.com/FPUathletics) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceAthletics).