Saint Anselm Upsets 
Franklin Pierce, 73-68
Morgan’s career night leads Hawks 
past NE-10 leading Ravens

MANCHESTER, N.H. (December 16, 2006) – Franklin Pierce, among team’s receiving votes in this week’s USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Division II poll, saw its eight-game winning streak and stay atop the Northeast-10 Conference standings come to an end with a 73-68 setback at Saint Anselm College in women’s basketball action at Stoutenburgh Gymnasium this evening.

            Senior Jessica Morgan (West Lebanon, N.H./Lebanon) paced Saint Anselm to its first NE-10 victory of the season with a double-double effort of a career-best 22 points (17 first half) and 13 rebounds to go with two assists. Junior Cassaundra Thorpe (Portsmouth, N.H./PCA) also notched a double-double with 12 points and a game-high 14 rebounds (six offensive) to go with two blocks, while sophomore Justine Lyons (Reading, Mass./Reading) added 12 points.

            Saint Anselm dominated the glass, out-rebounding Franklin Pierce by a 46-30 margin, including 15-14 on the Hawks offensive side of the court. The Ravens shot just 35.7-percent (25-for-70) from the field, including 8-of-31 (25.8%) from three-point range and were out-scored 19-10 at the free-throw line. The Hawks shot 49% (24-49) for the night to help offset a 28-16 disadvantage in points off turnovers.

            Franklin Pierce got another strong outing from freshman Johannah Leedham (Ellesmere Port, England/Cheshire Academy), who reached the 30-point plateau for the third-straight Saturday with a game-high 33 points (17 first half) as she connected on 11-of-20 shots from the field, including 4-8 from three-point range, and converted 7-8 free-throw attempts. Leedham also added a team-best seven rebounds, three assists, two steals and a blocked shot.            

Sophomore sister Jennifer Leedham (Ellesmere Port, England/Cheshire Academy) added 17 points (12 first half), four rebounds (three offensive) four assists and a career-best six steals. Sophomore Vanessa Power (Mildura, Australia) chipped in seven points and three boards off the bench.

            In a first half that featured two ties and six lead changes, Franklin Pierce gained a game-best ten-point lead (37-27) after a Johannah Leedham jumper with 3:31 left before the break. Power and Jennifer Leedham led what was a 14-3 Ravens run with five points each.

            The Ravens settled on a five-point cushion (39-34) at the break and were up by six (45-39) after a Johannah Leedham jumper 3:09 into the second half. Saint Anselm took its first lead of the half (51-50) with a Lyons three-pointer with 12:53 to play.

            Trailing by one (52-51) after a pair of Megan McIntyre (Melbourne, Australia) free-throws, Saint Anselm used a 14-4 run to take its largest lead of the game to that point (65-56) after a pair of Morgan free-throws with 4:21 to play. The Hawks led by ten on three occasions over the next three minutes, including a 72-62 advantage after a pair of Lyons free-throws with 1:06 to play. Franklin Pierce made one last run as both Leedham sisters drained three-pointers to cut its deficit to four (72-68) with 44-seconds left.

            Freshman Kate Connolly (Winchester, Mass./New Hampton School) hit just one of two at the line with 30-seconds left, but Franklin Pierce missed three long-range shots on its final possession before Saint Anselm collected a rebound with four-seconds left to seal the victory. 

            Franklin Pierce (8-2, 7-1 NE-10) returns home on Wednesday when it hosts Molloy College for a non-conference contest at 7 p.m. Saint Anselm (2-5, 1-5 NE-10) hosts New York Institute of Technology for a non-conference clash tomorrow at 1 p.m.

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