Franklin Pierce Outlasts 
Saint Anselm, 56-48
Ravens force 27 turnovers, hold Hawks 
to 33.3-percent second-half shooting

MANCHESTER, N.H. (January 10, 2006) – Franklin Pierce collected its third-straight win with a 56-48 decision over Saint Anselm College in Northeast-10 Conference women’s basketball action at Stoutenburgh Gym tonight.

            Franklin Pierce, now winners of nine of ten, took advantage of 27 Saint Anselm turnovers, including 14 in the second half, and limited the Hawks to 33.3-percent (8-of-24) shooting from the field (3-10 from three-point range) over the final half. The Ravens also enjoyed an 18-5 scoring advantage from the free-throw line, including 14-2 in the second half.

            Junior forward Danielle D’Ettorre (Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario/St. Mary’s) recovered from an early shot to her eye, coming back to net 16 points (11 first half) on 5-of-10 shooting from the field, including 3-5 from beyond the arc, to go with seven rebounds, two assists and three steals. Senior Heather Jacobs (Stoughton, Mass./Stoughton) also scored 16 points (13 second half), draining 11-of-14 free-throw attempts, to go with three rebounds, three assists and four steals. Freshman Jennifer Leedham (Ellesmere Port, England) added 12 points and five assists, while classmate Heather Benton (Valley Springs, Calif./St. Mary’s) grabbed a game-high eight rebounds to go with three steals.            

Senior Katie Levane (Port Washington, N.Y./Our Lady of Mercy) led Saint Anselm with 15 points, shooting 6-of-10 from the field (3-6 from three-point land), five assists and three steals. Classmate Lanna Martin (Calais, Maine/Calais) registered ten points, four rebounds and two assists.

            Saint Anselm led by two points (27-25) at the break, but the lead see-sawed over the first ten minutes of the second half with four ties and six lead changes before the Hawks took a three-point advantage (43-40) after a pair of free-throws from senior Raenielle Decastro-Cain (Manchester, Conn./Manchester) with 9:46 to play.

            Franklin Pierce took over from there, using a 12-0 run to take a nine-point lead (52-43) after a Leedham free throw with 2:26 to play. Leedham scored six points during the stretch, including a key three-pointer. Jacobs iced the win with four free throws over the final 26-seconds.  

Franklin Pierce (10-4, 7-2 NE-10) returns to action on Saturday when it visits Southern Connecticut State University, receiving votes in this week’s USA Today/ESPN Division II poll, at 1:30 p.m. Saint Anselm (4-11, 0-10 NE-10) hosts Merrimack College on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.

BOX SCORE