Merrimack Clips 
Franklin Pierce, 72-70
Leedham’s career-best 34 points not enough as Ravens locked into eighth place

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. (February 17, 2007) – Merrimack College remains in the hunt for a playoff spot and locked Franklin Pierce into eighth place with a 72-70 victory in Northeast-10 Conference women’s basketball action at the Volpe Center this afternoon.

            The loss, along with Stonehill College’s win over Assumption College this afternoon, locks Franklin Pierce into the eighth seed for the upcoming NE-10 Tournament set to tip off with first round action on Sunday, February 25. The Ravens turned the ball over a season-low ten times this afternoon, but a 43-31 Merrimack advantage on the glass resulted in a 13-5 edge in second chance points for the Warriors. Bench points were a factor in the contest as well as Merrimack’s reserved out-scored the Franklin Pierce reserves 30-1 on the afternoon.

            Sophomore Amanda Shannon (North Andover, Mass./North Andover) led four Merrimack players in double-figures with 17 points, hitting 6-of-9 shots from the field, to go with five rebounds and three assists. Junior Ashlee Brownlee (Portland, Maine/Portland) added 16 points, five rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots, while junior Takeya Faison (Lynn, Mass./Lynn Classical) totaled 12 points and seven rebounds. Freshman Casey Miller (Fairbanks, Alaska/West Valley) chipped in 11 points and four rebounds in 16 minutes off the bench.            

Franklin Pierce got a career-high 34 points (23 second half) from sophomore Jennifer Leedham (Ellesmere Port, England/Cheshire Academy), hitting 10-of-19 shots from the field, including 3-5 three-pointers, and converting 11-16 free-throws to go with five assists, three rebounds and two steals. Classmate Vanessa Power (Mildura, Australia) added 14 points, aided by 4-8 shooting from three-point range, and two steals, while senior Nicola Dalton (Danbury, Conn./Ridgefield) grabbed a game-high ten rebounds to go with eight points and two steals.

            Franklin Pierce was victimized for the second-straight game on a late game-winning basket, this time Brownlee hit a three-pointer with eight-seconds to play for Merrimack. The Ravens had plenty of time to at least force overtime, but junior Stephanie Bergeron’s (Pointe Claire, Quebec/Dawson College) three-pointer at the buzzer was off the mark.

            Dalton hit one of two free-throws with a minute on the clock that capped a Ravens comeback from ten points down (64-54) with 5:24 to play, putting the visitors up one (70-69). Both teams turned the ball over on their next possessions, but after a timeout, Merrimack worked the clock before Brownlee’s winning basket.

            A 12-2 Merrimack run over a three-minute span opened a game-high 12-point lead (59-47) after a Faison layup with 9:06 to go. Franklin Pierce’s largest lead was eight (21-13) after a Power three with 7:35 left in the first half, but the Warriors posted a 19-5 run to reverse their disadvantage into a six-point lead (32-26) after a Kara Borelli (Westbrook, Maine/Westbrook) layup 1:46 before halftime.     

            Franklin Pierce (16-10, 12-9 NE-10) rounds out the regular season on Tuesday when it hosts Saint Michael’s College at 5:30 p.m. Merrimack (7-19, 5-16 NE-10) visits Bryant University on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.

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