NCAA QUARTERFINAL: #14 Franklin Pierce Shoots By #6 California (Pa.), 88-73
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East Region champion Ravens advance to National Semifinal for
first time in program history behind combined 46 points from
Leedham sisters
Ravens win program-record 28th game of the season with 56-percent
shooting
SAN ANTONIO, Texas (March 24, 2009) - East Region champions Franklin Pierce University, ranked 14th in the final regular season USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Division II poll, shot 56-percent from the field to claim an 88-73 victory over Atlantic Region champion and 6th-ranked California University of Pennsylvania in quarterfinal round action of the 2009 NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Championships, hosted by the San Antonio Sports Commission and Saint Mary's University, at Bill Greehey Arena tonight.
Franklin Pierce (28-5) advances to the national semifinal round for the first time in program history and will face 24th-ranked Delta State University (30-6) tomorrow night at 9:30 p.m. (EDT). The game will be broadcast live on ESPN and has also been picked up by Cox Cable of New England. Delta State advanced with a 55-47 victory over No. 11 West Texas A&M University (28-6) in tonight's final quarterfinal. California sees its season come to a close with a 29-5 record overall, including a 13-1 clip in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC), having won its second-straight regional championship.
"We knew we had our hands full with this team," said Franklin Pierce head coach Mark Swasey, the Russell Athletic/WBCA East Region Coach of the Year. "We felt very fortunate that we has the amount of time to prepare for this team as we did."
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Franklin Pierce's sister combination of Jennifer and Johannah Leedham (Ellesmere Port, England/Cheshire Academy (Conn.)) led the Ravens to their program-record 28th win of the season by combining for 46 points. Johannah, the junior All-American, led the way with a game-high matching 30 points (17 first half) on 9-for-13 shooting from the field, hitting all three three-point attempts, while converting 9-of-11 free-throw attempts. She also added five assists, three steals and three rebounds, while moving within 13 points of her own single-season scoring record with 745 points this year after her 23rd career 30-point game (64th 20-plus).
Jennifer added 16 points on 5-of-11 shooting from the field, including 2-for-5 from three-point range, while posting eight assists, four rebounds and two steals. Franklin Pierce, which placed four players in double-figures, also got 16 points from senior Toby Martin (Wayne, Maine/Maranacook) on 5-for-7 shooting from the field, including 2-4 from beyond the arc, converting all four free-throw attempts. Sophomore Tori Ahrens (East Greenwich, R.I./East Greenwich) contributed ten points, on 5-for-8 shooting from the field, and five rebounds, while freshman Marielle Giroud (Martigny, Switzerland) pulled down a game and season-best 13 rebounds to go with eight points (all second half) and two assists.
Senior Lindsay Johnson (New Springfield, Ohio/Springfield) led California with 30 points on 12-for-17 shooting from the field, including 3-of-6 from three-point range, converting all three free-throw attempts to go with six rebounds and two assists. Junior All-American Brooque Williams (Pittsburgh, Pa./Perry) was held to 14 points (12 first half) on 7-of-14 shooting from the field, a team-high eight rebounds (three offensive) and three assists in 31 minutes before fouling out.
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"I was real frustrated," said Williams of playing the majority of the game in foul trouble and eventually fouling out. "It was all my fault that I got into foul trouble. I wasn't focused and I was making bad mistakes."
Sophomore Kayla Smith (Elkins, W.V./Elkins) rounded out the Vulcans double-figure scorers with 12 points, four rebounds and four assists.
Franklin Pierce finished shooting 56-percent from the field (28-for-50), including 63% (17-for-27) in the first half in building an 11-point (48-37) halftime lead. The Ravens shot 47.1% (8-17) from three-point range and finished with a 36-25 rebounding advantage against a California team that led Division II with a +12 rebounding margin for the year. The Vulcans shot 48.4% (31-64) from the field, but just 41.9% (13-31) in the second half, including 26.7% (4-15) from three-point range. They also made just 7-12 (58.3%) free-throw attempts as Franklin Pierce outscored California 24-7 at the stripe.
Franklin Pierce led nearly from start to finish in the up tempo battle. California was within five (73-68) after a Johnson layup with 5:28 left in regulation that capped a 12-4 run that cut into a 13-point Ravens lead (69-56) with 9:57 to go. Franklin Pierce answered with 12-straight points to seal the victory and open a game-high 17 point margin (85-68) after a Jennifer Leedham three with 1:39 on the clock. The Leedhams had ten of the Ravens 12 points during that stretch, with Jennifer netting six and Johannah four during the four-minute stretch.
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"I thought we showed a lot of toughness when (California) brought the lead to five," said Swasey. "We looked great out there and played with a lot of togetherness and confidence and that ultimately gave us the edge."
Franklin Pierce scored the first eight points of the contest, five from Johannah Leedham, in the opening 2:37. The Ravens lead was nine (17-8) after an Ahrens layup five minutes in, when California scored ten-straight points to take an 18-17 lead after a layup from sophomore Amber Dubyak (Hastings, Pa./Cambria Heights) with 12:46 left in the half. The score was knotted at 24 after a Williams jumper midway through the stanza, when Franklin Pierce regained an eight point cushion (32-24) on a layup by sophomore Ashley Robinson (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Nova) with 6:24 remaining.
Franklin Pierce carried an 11-point margin into halftime (48-37), but California quickly cut the lead to five (51-46) after a layup from senior Crystal Andrews (Johnstown, Pa./Johnstown) 2:32 into the second half. A Giroud layup and Johannah Leedham three pushed the Ravens lead back into double-figures (56-46) with 16:41 to play and they extended it to 15 (66-51) on a Martin jumper with 13-minutes to go.