Franklin Pierce RINDGE, N.H. (December 20, 2006) – Franklin Pierce, among teams receiving votes in this week’s WBCA/USA Today/ESPN Division II Coaches Poll, survived a season-high 31 turnovers to collect a 67-60 overtime victory over Molloy College in non-conference women’s basketball action at the Fieldhouse tonight. Freshman Johannah Leedham (Ellesmere Port, England/Cheshire Academy) notched her fourth 30-point outing of the season (second-straight) with a game-best 35 points (30 after halftime) aided by a 19-for-23 shooting effort at the free-throw line to set a program-record for free-throws made in a game. She surpassed the record of 17 made free-throws set by Gail Harris in a win over Eastern Nazarene College on January 29, 1983, and matched by Leedham herself in a win at No. 25 College of Saint Rose on December 9. Leedham also hit 8-of-12 shots from the field for the evening. Leedham grabbed a team-best ten rebounds for her sixth double-double of the season and added three steals and two assists. She scored 11 of Franklin Pierce’s 14 points in the overtime period, hitting all nine free-throw attempts in the extra frame.
No other Raven reached double-figures as junior Stephanie Bergeron (Pointe Claire, Quebec/Dawson College) and sophomore Vanessa Power (Mildura, Australia) each added eight points. Power also grabbed four rebounds, while sophomore Jennifer Leedham (Ellesmere Port, England/Cheshire Academy) chipped in seven boards. Freshman Kymira Woodberry (Boston, Mass./Newton) led Molloy with a double-double effort of 15 points and a game-best 13 rebounds to go with three steals. Junior Randi Bender (North Bellmore, N.Y./Mepham) added 11 points, four rebounds and two steals, while freshman E.J. Dreyer (Floral Park, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy) posted six steals and junior Kelly Quackenbush (Westbury, N.Y./Jericho) chipped in seven rebounds. Franklin Pierce overcame a first half in which it turned the ball over 20 times and shot just 30-percent (7-for-23) from the field, including 3-for-8 (37.5%) from three-point range, and converted just 1-of-4 (25%) free-throw attempts. The Ravens shot 42.9% (11-28) from the field after halftime and converted 25-31 (80.1%) of their free-throw attempts, including 12-13 (92.3%) shooting from the line in overtime. They also posted a 47-41 rebounding advantage. Molloy shot 38.1-percent (24-63) from the field for the night, including 3-13 (23.1%) from three-point range, but kept Franklin Pierce close by shooting just 25.9% (7-27) in the first half. The Lions also converted just 9-of-26 (34.6%) free-throw attempts for the night, including 4-19 (21%) after halftime. In a game which featured 20 lead changes and 20 ties, Franklin Pierce appeared to have weathered the storm by forging a game-high seven point lead (48-41) after a Johannah Leedham layup with 3:34 to play to cap an 8-1 burst. Molloy answered with eight-straight points, capped by a Dreyer layup with 2:12 to play to put the Lions up a point (49-48). A Bender layup put the visitors back in front (51-50) with 1:12 to play, but Jennifer Leedham scored a layup and Bergeron hit one of two free-throws to give the Ravens a two-point edge (53-51) with 14-seconds on the clock. Woodberry forced overtime with a driving layup with 3.4-seconds left. The Lions scored the first four points of the overtime period and maintained a four-point lead (59-55) after a Clarissa Jones (Boston, Mass./Cathedral) layup with 3:08 on the clock. Johannah Leedham converted a conventional three-point play to put Franklin Pierce back in front (61-60) with 1:42 left and she hit all four free-throw attempts, to go with a pair from Bergeron, in the final 68-seconds to seal the victory. Franklin Pierce (9-2, 7-1 NE-10) is off for the holiday before traveling to Boca Raton, Fla., to face New York Institute of Technology at the Doubletree Holiday Classic, hosted by Lynn University, on Friday, December 29, at 3 p.m. The Ravens are not home again until after the New Year when they host No. 21 American International College on Wednesday, January 3, at 5:30 p.m. Molloy (4-5, 1-3 ECC) visits Saint Anselm College on Friday at 5 p.m. |
