Top-seeded Ravens use big second half to defeat third-seeded Bentley, 93-81
Johannah Leedham earns Most Outstanding Player honors, nets game-high 31
Gaudet (19 points), Jennifer Leedham (11) also named to All-Tournament team

Boxscore 

RINDGE, N.H. (March 8, 2009) - Top-seeded and regular season champion Franklin Pierce University, ranked 19^th in this week's USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Division II poll and first in the NCAA Division II East Regional rankings, completed the Northeast-10 Conference championship double by claiming a 93-81 victory over third-seeded Bentley University, among other teams receiving votes nationally and fifth in the region, in today's NE-10 Tournament final at the Fieldhouse.

Franklin Pierce (24-5, 18-4 NE-10) captures its first tournament title since joining the Northeast-10 in 2000 and also collects the Conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Championship Tournament set to get underway on Friday. The Ravens, likely to hold onto the top seed in the region which it has held for the last four weeks, will learn their first round opponent during tonight's selection show on www.ncaa.com at 9 p.m. The tournament championship is the Ravens first since capturing the 1992 New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) crown, under current assistant coach Steve Hancock - the last time they also won both regular season and tournament titles the same year.

Bentley (21-11, 15-7 NE-10), a lock to receive one of the region's five at-large bids to the NCAA Tournament, will await their seeding and first round opponent tonight at 9 p.m. The Falcons, participating in the NE-10 Championship a record 21^st time (out of 28 in the Conference's history) suffered defeat for just the seventh time in the finals, having won a record 14 titles.

Junior All-American and Great Britain international Johannah Leedham (Ellesmere Port, England/Cheshire Academy (Conn.)), the two-time NE-10 Player of the Year, locked up Most Outstanding Player honors for the tournament as she scored 22 of her game-high 31 points for Franklin Pierce after halftime, drawing within 14 points of the 2,000-point plateau in the process. She made 9-of-17 shots from the field (7-11 2^nd half), including 3-for-8 from three-point range, and converted 10-of-11 free-throw attempts on the afternoon. Leedham also shared the team lead with eight rebounds to go with four assists and two steals.

Sophomore Cynthia Gaudet (Coventry, R.I./LaSalle Academy) joined Leedham on the All-Tournament team, netting a career-best 19 points on a perfect 5-for-5 shooting from the field, including 3-of-3 from beyond the arc, converting 6-of-8 free-throws to go with five assists and two steals. Senior Jennifer Leedham (Ellesmere Port, England/Cheshire Academy (Conn.)) also earned All-Tournament team honors with 11 points (all second half), four assists, three steals and three rebounds. 

Franklin Pierce featured five players in all in double-figures in its highest scoring outing of the season - most since netting 93 at Post University in December 2007. Senior Toby Martin (Wayne, Maine/Maranacook) added 11 points, shooting 5-for-9 from the field, while classmate Vanessa Power (Mildura, Australia) contributed ten points as she canned all three of her attempts from beyond the arc. Freshman Marielle Giroud (Martigny, Switzerland) chipped in a team-high matching eight rebounds to go with seven rebounds and three steals.

Senior Kristy McLean (Staten Island, N.Y./Poly Prep) and sophomore Kim Brennan (Locust Valley, N.Y./Locust Valley) each earned All-Tournament team honors for Bentley. McLean finished with a team-best 19 points (14 second half) on 6-for-13 shooting from the field, including 3-for-6 from three-point range, to go with four assists, three rebounds and two steals. Brennan made 7-of-13 shots from the field for 15 points, four assists and three rebounds.

Senior Angela Manfredi (Burton, Ohio/Berkshire) scored all 17 of her career-high point total in the first half, shooting 6-for-8 in the opening 20 minutes, including 2-3 from deep, finishing with a game-high matching nine rebounds, four assists, four steals and two blocked shots. Junior Colette Josey (Boston, Mass./Framingham) added 14 points, on 6-of-8 shooting, six rebounds and three blocked shots. Freshman Shatasia Kearse (Framingham, Mass./Lincoln-Sudbury) chipped in with nine rebounds (six offensive) off the bench.

Franklin Pierce shot 53.1-percent (17-for-32) from the field in scoring 53 second half points, connecting on 5-of-9 (55.6%) three-pointers and converting 14-of-18 (77.8%) free-throws in the stanza to finish shooting 48.3% (29-60) from the field overall, including 47.6% (10-21) from beyond the arc, and 25-30 (83.3%) from the free-throw line. Bentley finished shooting 52.5-percent (32-for-61) from the field, including 55.3% (21-38) in the second half, and 46.7% (7-15) from long-distance. The Ravens enjoyed a 26-13 advantage in points off turnovers, committing just 14 turnovers compared to 21 for the Falcons, and out-scored the guests 18-11 on second chance points despite Bentley finishing with a 39-32 rebounding advantage.

Franklin Pierce led by one (52-51) after Bentley rallied from an early nine-point deficit in the second half after a McLean three-pointer with 13:06 left in regulation. The Ravens answered with a 13-2 run over the next two and a half minutes to open a then game-high 12-point lead (65-53) after a three from Johannah Leedham with 10:36 left. Leedham also posted a conventional three-point play during that stretch and Gaudet chipped in five points.

After a timeout, Bentley scored the next five points, sparked by a three by freshman Meghan Thomann (Andover, Mass./Andover), to close within seven (65-58) just 30-seconds later. A 9-2 Franklin Pierce spurt over a two-minute span put the hosts up 13 (76-63) after a Leedham lay-up with 7:38 remaining. The Leedham sisters accounted for all nine points during that stretch, with Johannah posting five points and two assists and Jennifer adding four points and two assists.

Bentley closed the gap to eight (79-71) after a Brennan lay-up with 6:04 left, but Franklin Pierce answered again, reeling off six-straight points to gain a game-high 14-point lead (85-71) on a Martin three with 3:32 to go. The Falcons tried to make one last run, drawing within eight (85-77) with two-straight McLean three's, but the Ravens held them there and scored another 6-0 run, capped by a steal and lay-up by Johannah Leedham with 20-seconds left to put the Ravens back up 14 (93-79), sealing victory.

Franklin Pierce came out on the good end of a first half that featured five ties and two lead changes, carrying a seven-point lead (40-33) into halftime after leading by as much as eight in the frame.