#2 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL WINS 2010 NORTHEAST-10 CHAMPIONSHIP!!!
Johannah Leedham & Jewel White named to All-Tournament Team
BOXSCORE
RINDGE, N.H. (March 7, 2010) – The
second-ranked Franklin Pierce University women’s basketball
team won the 2010 Northeast-10 Championship on Sunday afternoon
over Stonehill by a count of 70-59 in The Fieldhouse in Rindge.
With the win, Franklin Pierce (28-1) claimed a sweep of the 2010
Northeast-10 titles as it won both the regular season and
tournament crowns. It marked the second-consecutive season the
Ravens accomplished the feat.
Senior standout and 2010 Northeast-10 Player of the Year
Johannah Leedham (Ellesmere Port, England) and
sophomore center Jewel White (Worcester, Mass.)
turned in outstanding performances on the afternoon to lead the
Ravens to victory. Leedham pumped in 31 points to move into the
top-10 all-time in NCAA women’s basketball history (Divisions
I, II & III) for career scoring with 2,927 points. She also had
seven rebounds and two steals to go along with her point total. Her
two steals moved her into a tie for eighth place in NCAA Division
II history for career thefts with 444.
However, the most spectacular performance of the afternoon came
from White, who tossed in 15 points and ripped down a game-high 23
rebounds (11 offensive, 12 defensive). Her total was just two shy
of the tournament record. White also had three assists, two steals
and one block. It marked the second-straight game she logged a
double-double, which ironically, came in her first two career
starts. White’s rebounding helped the Ravens own a 46-30 edge
on the glass.
Both players were honored by the Northeast-10 following the game
as they were named to the All-Tournament Team. Leedham was named
the Most Valuable Player for the tournament as she averaged over 30
points a game.
Junior guard Cynthia Gaudet (Coventry, R.I.) was
the other Raven to score in double-figures on the afternoon as she
added 10 points. She also dished out a game-high seven assists,
while swiping two steals.
Stonehill, which fell to 23-9, had three players score in
double-figures, including Kelsey Simonds (17 points), Emily
Rousseau (14 points) and Kristen McWhirter (12 points).
The Skyhawks came out firing in the first half and shot 54 percent
(15-of-28) from the floor, including 57 percent (4-of-7) from
behind the arc, in building a 37-35 lead at halftime.
Rousseau had a dozen points in the opening 20 minutes, while
Simonds added 11.
Franklin Pierce kept it close in the opening half by forcing
Stonehill into 10 turnovers and scoring 12 points off of those. The
Ravens shot a solid 43 percent (13-of-30) from the field and got 14
points from Leedham. White just barely missed a double-double in
the first half as she had nine points and nine boards.
The early stages of the second half took on the same routine as
the first half as both teams swapped baskets early on.
Gaudet put the Ravens up 50-47 with 10:15 left in the game after
she was fouled shooting a three and followed by making all three
foul shots. However, the Skyhawks responded on the next possession
by getting a three-point play from Tania Williams to knot the score
at 50.
After a pair of Leedham free throws at the other end, Williams
came right back for Stonehill and tied it at 52-52 with a driving
layup.
After that basket, Franklin Pierce picked up its pace of play at
both ends of the court. White grabbed an offensive board and kicked
it out to freshman guard Amanda Saab (Windham,
N.H.), who drained a triple from the top of the key to put
the Ravens up 55-52.
McWhirter hit a baseline jumper at the other end to pull Stonehill
within one with 8:15 remaining, but the Skyhawks would go cold for
the next seven minutes as they would not score another point during
that time.
While Stonehill struggled offensively, thanks in large part to
solid defensive play from Saab, Leedham, Gaudet and White, Franklin
Pierce kept getting to the basket for layups or to the line for
free throws. Leedham sandwiched a pair of free throws around a
White layup and the Ravens opened up at the time the largest lead
of the game at 61-54 with 4:52 left to go.
Stonehill was forced to foul late in the game with the lead slowly
extending into double-digits. Leedham, Gaudet, White and freshman
guard Jordan Grant (Concord, N.H.) each hit free throws down the
stretch to put the game out of reach and seal the win and
championship for Franklin Pierce.
Saab finished with five points, four rebounds, two assists, one
steal and a block. Classmate Tiffany Johnson (St. Albans,
Vt.) threw in six points to aid the cause for Franklin
Pierce.
In all, the lead changed hands eight times and the score was tied
10 other times, which highlighted the fact that both teams battled
hard for the league’s title.
The win was the 28th of the season for Franklin Pierce as the
2009-10 edition of the Ravens moved into second place in program
history for the most wins in a single season. This year’s
team only trails last season’s squad, which produced 29 wins
on the way to an appearance in the NCAA Division II National
Championship Game.
The win also gave Franklin Pierce the Northeast-10’s
automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, which will begin next weekend
in the East Regional. The Ravens will await word of their
first-round opponent, which will be announced later this evening on
the Tournament’s Selection Show at 9:30 p.m. on
www.NCAA.com(.)
For more information on Franklin Pierce women’s basketball,
and on its upcoming games in the NCAA Division II Tournament,
please visit the team’s page at
athletics.franklinpierce.edu(.)