Jewel White goes off for 20 points and 16 rebounds; Brittany Martelle knocks down three triples from behind the arc

BOXSCORE

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. (February 16, 2011) -- The Franklin Pierce University women's basketball team picked up its 20th win of the season on Wednesday night with a 74-61 triumph over Merrimack at Volpe Gymnasium in North Andover, Mass. The Ravens, who also swept the two-game regular season series from the Warriors, improved to 20-6 overall and 17-6 in the Northeast-10. Merrimack fell to 10-14 and 8-12 in league play.

Junior center Jewel White (Worcester, Mass.) sparked the Ravens' attack with an impressive double-double of 20 points and 16 rebounds. She was 9-of-13 from the floor, while also handing out an assist and swiping a steal.

Classmate Marielle Giroud (Martigny, Switzerland) was Franklin Pierce's other double-figure scrorer as she dumped in 15 points, while also grabbing four rebounds, swiping three steals and handing out a pair of assists.

Freshman guard Brittany Martelle (Brookfield, Conn.) netted nine points on 3-of-4 shooting from behind the arc, while sophomore guard Amanda Saab (Windham, N.H.) and freshman backcourt-mate Kate McDonald (Fall River, Mass.) chipped in with seven points apiece.

Taneka Brown paced Merrimack with 18 points, while Sarah Benischek and Valerie Avebe added 10 points each.

Franklin Pierce found itself trailing by five early in the second half after Benischek dropped in a basket to put the Warriors up 39-34. But the Ravens rallied with seven-straight points, including a triple from sophomore guard Tiffany Johnson (St. Albans, Vt.) and back-to-back layups from White, to go up 41-39 with 14:07 to go.

Shea put Merrimack back on top with a three-pointer on the next possession, but the lead was short-lived as Franklin Pierce rallied with a 17-4 run over a five-minute span to take a commanding 58-46 advantage. Giroud sparked the surge with a three-point play on a layup and foul shot, and Martelle capped it with a pair of treys.

The run put the game out of reach as the Ravens would lead by as many as 17 the rest of the way in pulling out the victory.

The victory marked the fourth-consecutive season the Ravens won at least 20 games in a single year. It also marked Franklin Pierce's 10th win in its last 11 games.

Both teams shot solid percentages from the floor as the Ravens shot 46 percent (26-of-56) and Merrimack shot 45 percent (25-of-56). One of the big advantages for Franklin Pierce was its 35 percent shooting from behind the arc (6-of-17), while holding the Warriors to just 12 percent shooting from three-point range (2-of-16).

The opening minutes of the game were tightly contested before the Ravens scored six-straight points to open up a 28-20 lead with 4:58 to go until halftime. Giroud scored all six points during the surge and the Ravens appeared to be taking a comfortable lead into halftime, but Merrimack responded by closing out the half on a 9-3 run to pull within 31-29 at halftime.

Franklin Pierce returns to action Saturday when the Ravens play host to Bentley at 1:30 p.m. in The Fieldhouse in Rindge.

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).