Ravens ride Leedham sisters and 61.1-percent shooting to big victory

RINDGE, N.H. (December 8, 2007) – Franklin Pierce University, among teams receiving votes in this week’s USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Division II poll, rolled to an 86-53 victory over The College of Saint Rose in Northeast-10 Conference women’s basketball action at the Fieldhouse this afternoon.

Franklin Pierce, off to a 7-1 start for the second-straight year, shot a season-high 61.1-percent (33-for-54) from the field, including a scorching 65% (13-of-20) from three-point range, and got a combined 41 points from the sister combo of Johannah and Jennifer Leedham (Ellesmere Port, England/Cheshire Academy (Conn.)). While Franklin Pierce was shooting lights out, the Ravens held Saint Rose to just 33.9-percent (21-62) shooting from the field, including 5-for-17 (29.4%) from three-point range.

Sophomore All-American Johannah Leedham led all scorers with 23 points, on 8-of-14 shooting from the field to go with a 5-of-6 effort at the free-throw line, seven rebounds (all second half), five assists, three steals and a blocked shot. Junior captain Jennifer Leedham added a season-high 18 points, shooting 8-of-9 from the field, including 2-3 from three-point range, seven assists and three rebounds. Junior Jennifer Powers (Mildura, Australia) scored on all five of her shots from the field, including three three’s, for 13 points off the bench for the Ravens.

Sophomore Elizabeth Buckley (East Lyme, Conn./East Lyme) was the lone Saint Rose player in double-figures with 18 points to go with six rebounds and three steals. Junior Ashley Anderson (Portland, Maine/Portland) added seven points, a game-high eight rebounds (four offensive) and four assists.

Franklin Pierce never trailed for the second-straight game, opening a 12-point cushion (21-9) after a steal and lay-up from Johannah Leedham 8:58 into the contest capped a 14-4 run. The Ravens carried a 14-point (41-27) lead into halftime and quickly extended it to 20 points (47-27) after a Jess McPherson (Croydon, Australia) lay-up capped a 6-0 spurt 1:40 into the second half.

A Buckley jumper with 17:23 to play brought Saint Rose within 18 (47-29), but after a pair of Johannah Leedham free-throws with 16-minutes left, Franklin Pierce’s lead would never go below 20-points the rest of the way.

Franklin Pierce (7-1, 5-1 NE-10) is back in action on Wednesday when it visits Southern New Hampshire University at 5:30 p.m. The Ravens are not home again until the New Year, when it hosts preseason NE-10 favorites Bentley College on January 8 at 5:30 p.m. Saint Rose (2-5, 1-5 NE-10) hosts Saint Michael’s College on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.