Tiffany Johnson scores career-high 19 points and dishes out career-best eight assists

BOXSCORE

RINDGE, N.H. (February 1, 2011) -- The Franklin Pierce University women's basketball team rolled to its seventh-consecutive victory Tuesday night with a convincing 91-79 triumph over Stonehill at The Fieldhouse in Rindge. The Ravens improved to 17-5 overall and 13-3 in the Northeast-10, while the Skyhawks had their five-game winning streak snapped while falling to 14-7 and 9-7 in league play.

Franklin Pierce, which knocked down its first five shots of the game and shot 60.4 percent from the field (32-of-53), had four Ravens score in double-figures, led by junior center Jewel White (Worcester, Mass.), who dropped in 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field. She also pulled down five rebounds and blocked four shots.

Sophomore guard Tiffany Johnson (St. Albans, Vt.) netted a career-high 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field, including going 3-for-3 from behind the arc. Johnson also dished out a career-high eight assists, swiped four steals and ripped down four rebounds.

Junior guard Lekia Cowen (Hopedale, Mass.) followed with a season-high 18 points and over the last two games has averaged 15.5 points. Junior forward Marielle Giroud (Martigny, Switzerland) was the other double-digit scorer as she tallied a double-double with 10 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. It marked the second time in as many games this season she logged a double-double versus Stonehill.

The Ravens opened the game by scoring 24 of the first 30 points, including getting five points early from freshman guard Kate McDonald (Fall River, Mass.). Johnson knocked down a pair of triples during the run, while Cowen and sophomore guard Amanda Saab (Windham, N.H.) each hit a trey of their own.

As impressive as Franklin Pierce's offensive output was, its defensive effort was just as amazing early on. The Ravens limited the Skyhawks to just three field goals made in the opening seven minutes. Overall, Stonehill shot just 26.7 percent (8-of-30) from the field in the opening 20 minutes.

The Ravens led by as many as 24 points in the first half in building a 48-28 lead at halftime. The Ravens out-scored Stonehill, 27-10, in points in the paint in the first half, while also owning a commanding 24-13 advantage on the boards. White had 11 points in the first half, while Johnson followed with 10.

Franklin Pierce's lead continued to hover around the 20-point margin for most of the second half before Stonehill tried to mount a late rally to get back into the game. The Skyhawks used a 14-5 run midway through the second half to pull within 11 at 73-62 with 6:55 remaining. Cori O'Kane, who scored 10 points in the game, capped the rally with a three-pointer.

However, Franklin Pierce responded and White laid in back-to-back baskets to push the Ravens' lead out to 15 at 77-62 with 5:43 to go. Stonehill would cut its deficit to 10 late, but that was as close as the Skyhawks would get. Cowen made five free throws late to help seal the win for Franklin Pierce.

The Ravens ended the game with a 37-24 advantage on the glass, including getting at least one rebound from each of the nine players that played.

Franklin Pierce's seven-straight wins matches a season-high, as the Ravens also opened the campaign with seven wins in a row, including picking up an 89-82 overtime win at Stonehill back on Nov. 17.

Mary Louise Dixon led Stonehill with 27 points, while Kristen McWhirter added 12 points and eight rebounds.

Franklin Pierce returns to action Saturday when the Ravens travel to Manchester to face Southern New Hampshire 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 follow Franklin Pierce Athletics on YouTube (www.youtube.com/FranklinPierceSports), Twitter (www.twitter.com/FPUathletics) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceAthletics).