Sixth-seeded Bulldogs advance to NE-10 championship to face top-seeded Stonehill on Sunday; Jo. Leedham’s 30 points not enough as Ravens await NCAA Tournament at large berth

RINDGE, N.H. (March 7, 2008) – Sixth-seeded Bryant University, among teams receiving votes in this week’s USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Division II poll and ranked eighth in the Northeast Region, upset second-seeded Franklin Pierce University, ranked 17th nationally and third in the region, 78-65 in semifinal round action of the 2008 Northeast-10 Conference Women’s Basketball Championships, presented by Spaulding, at the Fieldhouse tonight.

Bryant University (20-10, 12-10 NE-10) advances to the Northeast-10 Championship game for the first time since winning its second of two-straight tournament titles in 1989, where it will face top-seeded and 10th-ranked Stonehill College (25-4, 19-3 NE-10) on Sunday in Easton, Mass., at 1 p.m. Stonehill advanced with a 53-51 victory over fourth-seeded Bentley College in tonight’s other NE-10 semifinal.

Franklin Pierce (24-5, 18-4 NE-10), which saw its season-long nine game winning streak come to an end, awaits word on a certain at large bid to the NCAA Division II Tournament. The field of 64 will be revealed via the NCAA website (www.ncaa.com) or www.cstv.com/ncaa/divii, Sunday night at 10:30 p.m. The Ravens are seeking their sixth NCAA Tournament appearance in program history, but first since 1999.

Bryant’s combo of junior Cara Johnson (Endicott, N.Y./Union-Endicott) and sophomore Kelsey O’Keefe (Warren, Mass./Quaboag), who averaged a combined 36.5 points in the Bulldogs first two postseason wins, led the way again as they teamed up for 41 points tonight. Johnson netted a team-best 21 points on 7-for-13 shooting from the field, including 3-of-5 from three-point range, to go with seven rebounds and three steals. O’Keefe added 20 points (12 second half) on 8-for-18 shooting from the field, and ten rebounds for her second-straight double.

Senior Lynne-Ann Kokoski (Hatfield, Mass./Smith Academy) added eight points, eight assists and three steals, while sophomore Courtney Schermerhorn (Lowell, Mass./Lowell) and freshman Siamone Bennett (Newburgh, N.Y./Newburgh Academy) each chipped in eight rebounds and six assists.

Franklin Pierce sophomore All-American Johannah Leedham (Ellesmere Port, England/Cheshire Academy (Conn.)) led all scorers with 30 points (15 each half) as she made 11-of-23 shots from the field and converted 6-of-8 free-throw attempts, to go with six rebounds, four assists and two steals.

Junior Jennifer Leedham (Ellesmere Port, England/Cheshire Academy (Conn.)) added 13 points, making 5-of-9 shots from the field, including 2-of-4 from three-point range, to go with four rebounds, three assists and two steals. Classmate Vanessa Power (Mildura, Australia) chipped in 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the field, including 3-5 from beyond the arc.

Bryant shot 46.8-percent (29-for-62) from the field on the night after opening the contest by making eight of its first nine shots in the contest. Franklin Pierce shot 44.4-percent (24-for-54), including 7-of-19 (36.8%) from three-point range. It marks just the second loss for the Ravens in 23 games this season in which they shot better than 40% from the field.

Bryant posted a 22-12 advantage in points off turnovers, a stat line which Franklin Pierce has dominated all season, and the Bulldogs enjoyed a 16-8 edge in second-chance points. The Ravens were also hampered by a 10-for-19 shooting performance (52.6%) at the free-throw line, compared to 15-for-21 (71.4%) for Bryant.

Franklin Pierce earned its first lead of the night when junior Melissa Kapela (Queens, N.Y./Christ the King) hit a jumper at the 8:40 mark of the second half. Bryant answered with a Johnson jumper on its next possession, but Jennifer Leedham buried a three with 7:04 to go that put the Ravens in front by two (59-57).

Unfortunately, that would prove to be Franklin Pierce’s final lead of the night as Bryant reeled off a back-breaking 14-3 run over the next four minutes to regain a nine-point lead (71-62) with 3:15 to play. O’Keefe netted seven points for the Bulldogs during that run, while Johnson buried a key three for the visitors.

Power hit a three with 2:44 to go that pulled Franklin Pierce back within six (71-65), but the Ravens would miss their final six shots the rest of the way.

Franklin Pierce trailed at halftime for just the fourth time all season as Bryant carried a three-point edge (37-34) into the intermission after leading by as many as eight on two occasions in the opening seven minutes of the contest, hitting eight of its first nine shots. The Bulldogs came out firing again in the second half, bumping their cushion to a game-high nine points (43-34) after six-straight points from Bennett in the first 1:26.

Franklin Pierce drew within two (43-41) after a Power lay-up with 15:33 to play, but Bryant quickly regained an eight point lead (50-42) following an O’Keefe lay-up a minute and a half later. Johannah Leedham scored a lay-up to pull the Ravens within a point (55-54) with 9:17 left, but missed a free-throw to tie.