Jo. Leedham pours in 30, breaking her own single-game free-throw record, to power third-seeded Ravens into Sweet 16 for first time in program history

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (March 15, 2008) – Third-seeded Franklin Pierce University, ranked 18th in this week’s USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Division II poll, has reached the Sweet 16 for the first time in program history with a 68-56 victory over second-seeded and No. 8-ranked Stonehill College in second round action of the 2008 NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Championship’s Northeast Regional, hosted by Holy Family University, at Campus Center Gymnasium tonight.

Franklin Pierce (26-5, 18-4 NE-10) advances to face the winner of tonight’s second game between fifth-seeded Assumption College (22-9, 15-7 NE-10), among teams receiving votes nationally, and top-seeded and No. 4-ranked Holy Family (31-0, 18-0 CACC) in Monday’s Northeast Regional Championship at 7 p.m. The winner of Monday’s game will advance to the Elite 8 in Kearney, Neb., March 26-29. Stonehill (27-5, 19-3 NE-10) sees its season come to a close after capturing the Northeast-10’s regular season and tournament championships. The Skyhawks also saw their 14-game winning streak (book ended by losses to the Ravens) come to an end as well.

“We are happy to be playing in the regional final, it was our goal at the beginning of the season,” said Franklin Pierce Head Coach Mark Swasey, who collected his 150th career win tonight (150-104). “Our goal was to make the Elite 8 and we are one win away. We are excited to be playing Monday night.”

Franklin Pierce was led by sophomore All-American Johannah Leedham (Ellesmere Port, England/Cheshire Academy (Conn.)), who poured in a game-high 30 points (18 first half), hitting 8-of-15 shots from the field and converting all 14 free-throw attempts to break her own single-game program record. Her previous best was a 13-for-13 effort, also against Stonehill, on December 2, 2006, in which she finished with a career-best 39 points. Leedham’s 696 points are just four shy of recording only the second 700 point season in program history and just ten shy of former Raven standout Shelia Lindsay’s single-season program record of 706 points set in 1987-88. Leedham also moved into seventh place on Franklin Pierce’s career scoring list with 1,274 points. She also collected five rebounds, five steals and two assists tonight.

Junior Jennifer Leedham (Ellesmere Port, England/Cheshire Academy (Conn.)) added 13 points, seven rebounds, five assists and a season-high matching five steals for the Ravens. Senior Josie Lidke (Chaska, Minn./Chaska) finished with ten points, hitting 4-of-8 shots from the field, including 2-3 three-pointers, and five rebounds, while freshman Tori Ahrens (East Greenwich, R.I./East Greenwich) chipped in a team-best eight rebounds and five points.

“I think everybody wanted this game,” said Johannah Leedham. “I think everyone raised their game about ten notches tonight and that’s what helped us get it done.”

Junior Kelsey Simonds (Middleboro, Mass.) led Stonehill with 20 points on 7-for-12 shooting from the field to go with a 6-for-8 effort at the line, nine rebounds and two blocked shots. Senior Erika Stupinski (Topsham, Maine) added ten points, seven rebounds, four assists and a steal, while junior Bethany Tighe (North Easton, Mass.) chipped in a game-high 11 rebounds and six points.

Franklin Pierce finished shooting 41.5-percent (22-for-53) from the field after hitting at a blistering 56% (14-for-25) in the first half, including 5-for-10 (50%) from three-point range. The Ravens also converted 18-of-22 (81.8%) free-throws attempts. Stonehill was held to 32.3-percent (20-for-62) shooting from the field, including 26.7% (8-for-30) in the second half, and hit just 4-of-30 (13.3%) from three-point range.

“We needed to execute a defensive game plan tonight,” said Swasey. “Our team executes as well as anyone in the country offensively, but we really needed to communicate defensively and execute and we did.”

Stonehill scored the first four points of the contest, but Franklin Pierce answered with a quick 10-0 run to gain a 10-4 advantage after a lay-up by Johannah Leedham 4:30 into the contest. Leedham also added a conventional three-point play during the run, while junior Vanessa Power (Mildura, Australia) drained a three.

While Franklin Pierce wouldn’t trail again, the Ravens advantage stayed within single digits the entire first half. A Simonds jumper knotted the score at 17-17 with 9:25 left in the half, and the game was tied at 24-24 after a Stupinski jumper with 6:40 to go. The Ravens followed with three’s by Lidke and Jennifer Leedham, as well as a Johannah Leedham jumper to gain an eight-point cushion (32-24) with 5:05 to go in the half. Franklin Pierce’s lead was nine (37-28) after a Power three with 2:26 left in the stanza, before the Ravens settled on an eight-point lead (40-32) at the break.

“They are just a tough team to stop,” said Stonehill Head Coach Trisha Brown. “They have a lot of weapons. Johannah Leedham was well deserving of Player of the Year and she was tough to stop tonight.”

Both teams came out cold in the second half, but a lay-up from sophomore Jess McPherson (Croydon, Australia) gave Franklin Pierce its first double-digit lead (42-32) 1:36 into the frame. The Ravens lead was 12 (50-38) after an Ahrens jumper with 10:44 to go, but Stonehill crept back within six (53-47) after a conventional three-point play from Simonds.

Lidke answered with a three pointer and Franklin Pierce’s lead was back to double-figures (60-49), when she snuck out and stole a pass at the top of the three-point arc and raced down the court for a fast break lay-up with 3:06 to play.

“I knew we were going to win right there,” said Lidke. “We had the momentum and I knew we had it.”

Freshman Kristen McWhirter (Melvin Village, N.H.) hit a pair of three-pointers in the final minute to make it interesting, but the Ravens made their final eight free-throws down the stretch, including six from Johannah Leedham, to seal their first ever Sweet 16 appearance.
“We played with a tremendous amount of heart,” said Swasey. “We had people step up, Josie stepped huge down the stretch and Johannah stepped up the whole game. Jo had to go out there and cook the meal and serve it and she did it.”