Ravens capture third-straight regional championship; will face Arkansas Tech in the quarterfinals on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. (ET)/2:30 p.m. (CT)

NCAA DIVISION II WOMEN'S BASKETBALL INTERACTIVE BRACKET

NCAA DIVISION II ELITE EIGHT HOMEPAGE                                         

RINDGE, N.H. (March 16, 2010) – The Franklin Pierce University women's basketball team is going back to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight for the third-consecutive year!

The Ravens punched their ticket to St. Joseph's, Mo. with a thrilling 82-79 overtime win over Holy Family on Monday night in the NCAA East Regional Final. It was the third-straight regional title for Franklin Pierce as the Ravens captured it in front of their home fans as the University hosted the tournament at nearby Fitchburg State College.

“This game and this team will go down as one of the all-time greats in Franklin Pierce history,” Vice President/Director of Athletics Bruce Kirsh said. “Our women's basketball team had to dig deep against a really good team in Holy Family. I give all the credit to the players and coaches for this title. The thing I'm most proud of is that we were able to win the championship in front of our loyal fans, who have supported the team all year long. I know our players were appreciative of all their support.”

The Elite Eight will be held March 23, 24 & 26 at the Civic Center in St. Joseph's, Mo. Missouri Western State University will serve as the host institution for the event. The quarterfinals will be held on Tuesday as Franklin Pierce will face South Region Champion Arkansas Tech at 3:30 p.m.  (ET) / 2:30 p.m. (CT). The semifinals of the Elite Eight will be held on Wednesday, and after an off day on Thursday, the national championship game will be played on Friday evening.

Franklin Pierce fans who cannot make the trip to Missouri can still follow all the exciting action live through multiple ways. The quarterfinals will be streamed live over the internet at NCAA.com(,) while the semifinals will be broadcast live on national television on ESPNU. The national championship will be aired live on ESPN 2. Franklin Pierce has already played on national TV once this season as it pulled out an impressive 77-73 win at Bentley back on Feb. 20 on CBS College Sports Network.

Franklin Pierce reached the Elite Eight for the first time in program history two years ago as the Ravens dropped a tough overtime decision to Alaska-Anchorage in the quarters. The Ravens returned to the final eight last season and made it all the way to the national title game before coming up just short in a 103-94 loss to Minnesota State-Mankato.

Franklin Pierce will head to this season's Elite Eight knowing they can make the plays in the clutch. The Ravens had to do just that in Monday's regional final as they had to overcome a two-point deficit in the closing seconds to tie the game, and send it to overtime where they ultimately pulled out the win.

Holy Family held a 73-71 lead with just 00:14 remaining, but senior standout Johannah Leedham (Ellesmere Port, England) was fouled and went to the foul line where she drained two free throws to knot the score at 73. Franklin Pierce played tough defense in the closing seconds and prevented Holy Family from coming up with the winning shot.

In overtime, the Ravens went right to work getting two points apiece from Leedham and Jewel White (Worcester, Mass.), to take a quick 77-73 lead. The teams traded baskets the rest of the way before the Ravens were finally able to put away the Tigers with a free throw late from Leedham. Leedham and White were named to the All-Regional Team for their efforts, while Leedham also took home MVP honors.

Leedham has put together a spectacular 2009-10 season as she has been named the Northeast-10 Conference Player of the Year and the Daktronics East Region Player of the Year. She leads the nation in scoring and ranks second in steals. She became the NCAA Division II all-time leading scorer in Franklin Pierce's NE-10 semifinal win over Bentley back on March 5, and in Monday's win over Holy Family topped 3,000 points for her career, becoming just the eighth player in women's college basketball history to do so.

With 23 more points, Leedham could move into fifth place in NCAA women's basketball history for career scoring and ahead of legends such as Cheryl Miller and Chamique Holdsclaw.

For more information on the NCAA Division II Elite Eight, fans can visit the championship page at NCAA.com(.)

For more information on Franklin Pierce women's basketball, please visit the team's page at athletics.franklinpierce.edu(.)