Jewel White goes for 18 points and 19 rebounds in victory

BOXSCORE

RINDGE, N.H. (January 5, 2011) – The No. 24-nationally ranked Franklin Pierce University women’s basketball team snapped a two-game skid by picking up a crucial last-minute, 69-68, win over Pace on Wednesday at The Fieldhouse in Rindge. The Ravens improved to 10-4 overall and 6-2 in the Northeast-10, while Pace dipped to 12-2 and 6-2 in league play.

Junior center Jewel White (Worcester, Mass.) had an exceptional game for the Ravens in the win as she tossed in 18 points and pulled down a season-high 19 rebounds. She also swatted away four shots in the contest.

Fellow junior Marielle Giroud (Martigny, Switzerland) added a strong individual game as she collected 16 points, eight rebounds, one assist and one steal. Freshman guards Brooke Coderre (Woonsocket, R.I.) and Brittany Martelle (Brookfield, Conn.) each chipped in with eight points. Martelle also handed out five assists, while going 2-for-2 from three-point range.

Brittany Shields led all scorers as she pumped in 28 points for the Setters. Lisa Welsome followed with 17 points, while dishing out six assists.

The final 75 seconds of the game proved to be some of the most exciting action the Ravens had seen all season. Franklin Pierce had led for a majority of the second half, but a Welsome three-pointer with 1:15 remaining lifted Pace to a 64-63 advantage.

Franklin Pierce, which had not trailed since the opening two minutes of the second half, was not fazed by the slim deficit and quickly went to work at the other end of the court to take back the lead. White sparked the late surge on Franklin Pierce’s next two possessions as she laid in a basket on the first series and then hit back-to-back foul shots on the second, to give the Ravens a 67-64 lead with just :38 remaining.

Shields tossed in a basket to pull Pace to within one with :22 left, but Giroud followed just moments later with a pair of free throws to give Franklin Pierce a 69-66 edge.

Shields, again, laid in a basket for the Setters, this time with two seconds remaining, to bring her team back within a point. However, Franklin Pierce was able to run out the remaining seconds on a deep inbounds pass that White was able to keep in play with a diving attempt.

The win snapped Franklin Pierce’s two-game losing streak, which had marked the first time since the 2006-07 season the Ravens had dropped consecutive games.

Both teams had a respectable shooting night as Pace was 43 percent (28-of-65) from the field, while the Ravens converted at a 42 percent (22-of-52) clip. Both teams shot slightly above the 30-percent mark from beyond the arc. However, it was at the free throw line that helped to decide the outcome as Franklin Pierce made 74 percent (20-of-27) of its chances, while Pace converted on just 54 percent (7-of-13) of its attempts.

The Ravens also held a 45-31 advantage on the glass, which translated into a 15-8 advantage in second-chance points. Sophomore forward Amanda Saab (Windham, N.H.) chipped in an all-around solid outing with six points, five rebounds, one assist, one block and a steal.

The first half featured four ties and six lead changes. The Setters went on a 9-0 run midway through the first half to turn a 12-10 deficit into a 19-12 lead. Franklin Pierce fought back and the teams would trade leads late into the stanza before Pace took a 34-33 edge into the locker room at halftime.

The Setters held a 38-35 lead two minutes into the second half, but Franklin Pierce mounted an 8-0 run, highlighted by a layup from freshman guard Kate McDonald (Fall River, Mass.) and capped with a triple from Martelle, to gain hold of the lead, which the Ravens would hold onto before the final hectic 75 seconds.

Franklin Pierce returns to action Saturday when the Ravens travel to Albany, N.Y. to take on Saint Rose at 1:30 p.m.

For more information on Franklin Pierce women’s basketball, please visit the team’s page at athletics.franklinpierce.edu(.) To follow the program even further, please visit Franklin Pierce Athletics on YouTube (www.youtube.com/FranklinPierceSports), Twitter (www.twitter.com/FPUathletics) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceAthletics).