Falcons end Ravens seven-game winning streak behind season-best 23 points from Brennan

RINDGE, N.H. (January 8, 2008) – Franklin Pierce University, ranked 14th in this week’s USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Division II poll, saw its seven-game winning streak come to an end with a 76-70 setback to Bentley College, among teams receiving votes nationally, in Northeast-10 Conference women’s basketball action at the Fieldhouse tonight.

Freshman Kim Brennan (Locust Valley, N.Y./Locust Valley) led Bentley to its fifth-straight victory with a season-high 23 points as she hit 7-of-16 shots from the field, including 3-for-8 from three-point range, and converted 6-of-8 free-throw attempts. She also dished three assists and blocked a shot. Junior Kristy McLean (Staten Island, N.Y./Poly Prep) added 12 points on 5-6 shooting (2-3 three’s), three rebounds, two assists and two steals. Senior Erica Kirwan (North Kingstown, R.I./North Kingstown) followed with 11 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Sophomore All-American Johannah Leedham (Ellesmere Port, England/Cheshire Academy (Conn.)) led Franklin Pierce with 21 points and ten rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season (14th career). She hit 7-of-14 shots from the field and converted all six free-throw attempts on the night to go with four steals and three assists. Senior Josie Lidke (Chaska, Minn./Chaska) added a season-high 17 points, shooting 8-14 from the field, five rebounds, three steals and two assists. Junior Jennifer Leedham (Ellesmere Port, England/Cheshire Academy (Conn.)) came within two points of her first career double-double, posting eight points, a career-high ten rebounds and three assists.

Franklin Pierce, which finished shooting 45-percent (27-60) on the night, were unable to overcome a slow start in which the Ravens made just 40.6% (13-32) of their shots in the opening half and missed their first 13 three-pointers of the game. Bentley’s 45.5-percent (25-55) shooting performance was the highest of any Franklin Pierce opponent this season, with the Falcons hitting at 50% (13-26) in the second half. The Falcons also out-scored the hosts 20-11 at the free-throw line, making 76.9% (20-26) of their attempts.

The game featured six ties and six lead changes and the first half featured a series of back and forth runs, which eventually saw Bentley take a six-point (37-31) lead into halftime. The Falcons lead was a game-high nine points (40-31) when McLean buried a three-pointer 12-seconds into the second half.

A 14-5 Franklin Pierce run brought the Ravens back even (45-45) after a Johannah Leedham jumper with 12:44 to go. Another Leedham jumper gave Franklin Pierce a lead (50-49) with 9:53 left, but that would prove to be the last Raven lead as Bentley answered with a jumper from sophomore Dedra Pritchard (Lake Hopatcong, N.J./Jefferson Township) and a Brennan lay-up to regain a three-point lead (53-50) with 8:48 to go.

Leedham canned a three-pointer to draw the Ravens even again (53-53), but a 12-5 Bentley run capped by a Brennan three had the visitors back in front by seven (65-58) with 4:28 to play. A Lidke three had Franklin Pierce back within three (69-66) with 2:39 to play, but Kirwan converted a conventional three-point play to put the Falcons back up seven (73-66) with 1:44 to go.

Leedham converted four free-throws around a Bentley turnover to pull the hosts again within a possession in the final minute. The Falcons missed two free-throws to ice the game and the Ravens had the ball with 20-seconds to play, but Leedham had a jumper fall off the mark and the visitors hit three of their last four free-throw attempts to finally ice it.

Franklin Pierce (12-2, 7-2 NE-10) is back in action on Saturday when it hosts Southern New Hampshire University at 1:30 p.m. Bentley (9-4, 6-3 NE-10) hosts Le Moyne College on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.