Jewel White logs double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds

BOXSCORE

RINDGE, N.H. (December 7, 2010) – The No. 10-nationally ranked Franklin Pierce University women’s basketball team got back on the winning track Tuesday night with a 71-62 win over UMass-Lowell at The Fieldhouse in Rindge. The Ravens improved to 8-1 overall and 5-1 in Northeast-10 action, while the River Hawks dipped to 3-5 and 2-3 in league play.

Junior center Jewel White (Worcester, Mass.) logged a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds, while also handing out three assists, swiping a steal and blocking a shot.  Sophomore guard Tiffany Johnson (St. Albans, Vt.) pumped in a career-high tying 16 points, collected a game-high six steals and dished out a trio of assists.

Freshman guard Brittany Martelle (Brookfield, Conn.) was the third Raven to log double-figures in scoring on the evening as she tossed in 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field. She also had three steals in the contest.

UMass-Lowell was led in scoring by Bianca Simmons, who tossed in a game-high 23 points. She also had a double-double on the night as she pulled down 10 boards. Sarah Bennett was the other River Hawk to score in double-figures as she had 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field.

The Ravens shot just 36 percent (22-of-61) from the floor, while UMass-Lowell was able to convert on 41 percent (24-of-58) of its attempts. The River Hawks also owned a 42-35 advantage in rebounding.

However, UMass-Lowell could not overcome 23 turnovers, which Franklin Pierce turned into 27 points off of. The Ravens did a much better job of taking care of the basketball, as they turned it over just 13 times.

The lead changed hands twice in the first three minutes of the second half, including when Johnson laid in a basket to put the Ravens up 34-33. Franklin Pierce slowly continued to add to its lead and went up by six at 43-37 with 14:02 remaining on a pair of free throws from White.

Lowell, though, wouldn’t go away and went on a 10-4 run over a three-and-a-half minute span to knot the game at 47-all. Krissy Little capped the rally with a three-point play on a driving layup and foul shot.

The teams exchanged baskets on the next two possessions, and again, the game was knotted at 49-49 with 10:03 to go.

This time, however, Franklin Pierce went on a run, which would ultimately put the game out of reach. Sophomore guard Amanda Saab (Windham, N.H.) laid in a bucket to spark a 9-0 run and the Ravens would hold a 58-49 advantage with 8:07 left. Johnson added a layup during the rally, while Martelle turned in a three-point play, and junior forward Marielle Giroud (Martigny, Switzerland) capped it with another layup.

The Ravens extended their lead out to 12 at 65-53 just minutes later as they went on to earn the victory. Their bench provided a big boost in the second 20 minutes as the reserves out-scored Lowell’s by a count of 14-7.

The lead changed hands four times in the opening 20 minutes. UMass-Lowell held a 20-19 lead with 5:55 left in the stanza, but the Ravens rebounded by scoring 13 of the next 15 points to build a 32-22 lead with a little under 90 seconds to go. Franklin Pierce took a 32-24 lead into the locker room at halftime.

White had 10 points and six rebounds in the first half, while Simmons netted 13 for the River Hawks.

Franklin Pierce returns to action on Saturday when the Ravens play host to Southern Connecticut State at 2 p.m. in The Fieldhouse in Rindge.

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).