#2 Women's Basketball Downs Molloy to Advance to Monday's NCAA East Regional Final; Ravens Set Program Record with 30th Win of Season
JEWEL WHITE RECORDS DOUBLE-DOUBLE WITH CAREER-HIGH 22 POINTS AND 17 REBOUNDS; RAVENS ADVANCE TO THIRD-STRAIGHT NCAA EAST REGIONAL FINAL; SET PROGRAM RECORD WITH 30TH WIN OF SEASON
FITCHBURG, Mass. (March 13, 2010) – The No.
2 nationally-ranked Franklin Pierce University women’s
basketball team set a program record with its 30th win
of the season on Saturday as it downed Molloy, 76-58, in the
semifinals of the 2010 NCAA Division II East Regional in Fitchburg,
Mass. The top-seeded Ravens (30-1), advanced to Monday’s
regional final, as they will face No. 2 seed Holy Family at 7 p.m.
in the Recreation Center at Fitchburg State College.
Sophomore center Jewel White (Worcester, Mass.) had a strong all-around game with a career-high 22 points and 17 rebounds. It marked the third time in the last four games she had a double-double, and the second time in the last three games she had at least 17 boards.
Senior standout and 2010 Daktronics East Region Player of the Year, Johannah Leedham (Ellesmere Port, England), poured in a game-high 25 points, while dishing out four assists and collecting two steals. She now stands at 2,969 points for her career.
Senior guard Kirsten Doldoorian (Brimfield, Mass.) was the other Franklin Pierce player to record a double-digit scoring game as she came off the bench to drop in 11 points.
Four Molloy players scored in double-figures, including Lisa Claxton (13 points), E.J. Dreyer (11 points), Kymira Woodberry (10 points) and Tatiana Lopez (10 points).
The Ravens shot 45 percent (21-of-47) from the field, got to the foul line 44 times and converted 32 of those attempts for a 73 percent clip. Franklin Pierce also held a 43-37 rebounding advantage and had a 36-20 advantage in points in the paint.
Franklin Pierce raced out to a 10-2 lead a little more than four minutes into the game. Leedham had six points during the surge, while Cynthia Gaudet (Coventry, R.I.) and Tiffany Johnson (St. Albans, Vt.) added a layup each.
Molloy regrouped and scored five of the next six points to pull within four at 11-7 with 13:32 remaining in the half.
However, the Ravens answered with a 13-3 run over the next six minutes, highlighted by six points from White and five from Leedham, to take a 24-10 advantage.
Franklin Pierce scored 11 of the half’s final 15 points in building a 45-22 lead heading into the locker room at halftime. Leedham had 15 points, while Doldoorian had 11. The Ravens shot 50 percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes, while also forcing Molloy into 15 turnovers.
The Ravens led by double-figures the entire second half. Molloy did pull within 12 points at 67-55 with 4:33 remaining, but never threatened at any other point.
Molloy, the regional’s fifth seed, concluded its season with an impressive 22-8 record. The Lions advanced to the regional semifinals following a 52-36 upset win over fourth-seeded Pace in the regional first round on Friday night.
Franklin Pierce will face Holy Family on Monday for the right to go to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight in St. Joseph, Mo. The Ravens will be making their third-consecutive appearance in the East Regional final, winning the previous two.
Tickets are available for the game and can be purchased at the door the day of the game. Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for children, seniors and college students with an ID.
Fans who cannot attend the game can follow it online via audio, video and/or live stats through the team’s page at athletics.franklinpierce.edu(.)