Seniors both post double-doubles, Saab adds 17

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (December 2, 2010) – Senior forward Marielle Giroud (Martigny, Switzerland) posted a 20-point, 12-rebound double-double on Friday evening to lead the No. 13 nationally ranked Franklin Pierce University women's basketball team to a 70-62 road victory over Bridgeport in non-conference play at Harvey Hubbell Gymnasium. Senior center Jewel White (Worcester, Mass.) added 15 points and 10 rebounds, while senior guard Elinor Avny led all players with 21 points in defeat for Bridgeport.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 5-0 (4-0 Northeast-10), while Bridgeport falls to 1-6 (0-0 East Coast).

Though Franklin Pierce opened the lead to as many as nine points in the first half, Bridgeport closed the gap to four at 39-35 at the halftime break. The early stages of the second half would go back and forth, with seven lead changes over the first eight minutes of the frame, before an Avny three-pointer and a layup by sophomore guard Aziza Patterson gave Bridgeport a 51-48 lead with 12:43 to play.

From there though, Franklin Pierce would take control for the remainder of the game. Sophomore guard Brooke Coderre (Woonsocket, R.I.) hit back-to-back three-pointers to give the Ravens the lead before Avny answered with another three to knot the score at 54-54 with 10:27 remaining. Franklin Pierce scored the next eight points of the game on a pair of free throws by White and three-point plays from both Giroud and senior guard Lekia Cowen (Hopedale, Mass.) to surge to a 62-54 lead it would never relinquish. Bridgeport did close the gap to two points down the stretch, but the Ravens would convert their final four free throws to eventually ice the game and take home the eight-point victory.

For Franklin Pierce, Giroud found nine of her 20 points via a 9-for-11 performance from the free-throw line, as Franklin Pierce earned 27 attempts from the charity stripe and went 24-for-27 as a team, compared to an 8-for-10 effort from the Purple Knights. Giroud also snatched eight of her rebounds at the defensive end and chipped in three assists and a steal on the evening. White added 7-for-8 from the free-throw line for nearly half of her 15 points, while junior forward Amanda Saab (Windham, N.H.) went 4-for-5 from the floor and 7-for-7 from the foul line to tally 17 points.

For Bridgeport, Avny went 6-for-10 from three-point range to lead three Purple Knights in double digits. Junior forward Tanisha Carter added 15 points on 6-for-13 from the floor, while Patterson went 5-for-11 from the field to score 11 points. Carter led Bridgeport on the glass with seven rebounds, while senior forward Julia Colley tracked down six of her own to go with four steals and two assists.

The Ravens return to the court on Sunday, Dec. 4, when they return home to host Saint Anselm in a Northeast-10 Conference contest. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at the Fieldhouse in Rindge.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics).