Box Score Second half comeback bid comes up short for Skyhawks
Boxscore
Junior Emily Rousseau shared the team lead with 18 points to go with six rebounds, four assists and three steals at #2 Franklin Pierce tonight. |
RINDGE, N.H. (December 11, 2009) - Stonehill College, ranked 21st in this week's USA Today/ESPN/Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Division II poll, saw a comeback bid from a 27-point first half deficit come up short in the final ten minutes of regulation in a 77-66 setback at No. 2-ranked Franklin Pierce University in Northeast-10 Conference women's basketball action tonight at the Franklin Pierce Fieldhouse.
Senior Johannah Leedham (Ellesmere Port, England/Cheshire Academy (Conn.)) led Franklin Pierce with a game-high 24 points (16 first half) on 7-of-14 shooting from the field, including 4-for-7 from three-point range, while converting 6-of-8 free-throws, to go with nine assists, six rebounds, five blocked shots and four steals. Junior Cynthia Gaudet (Coventry, R.I./LaSalle Academy) added 17 points, four rebounds and three assists, while classmate Tori Ahrens (East Greenwich, R.I./East Greenwich) posted 15 points, on 7-for-10 shooting from the floor, four rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals. Sophomore Marielle Giroud (Martigny, Switzerland) chipped in with a game-high 14 rebounds.
Senior Kelsey Simonds (Middleboro, Mass./Cardinal Spellman) and junior Emily Rousseau (Biddeford, Maine/Biddeford) combined for 36 points for Stonehill with each netting 18 points on the night. Simonds, who scored 14 second half points, made 5-of-10 shots from the field and converted 8-of-9 free-throws to go with seven rebounds, two steals and a blocked shot, while Rousseau made 8-of-20 shots, including 2-for-5 from three-point range, to go with six rebounds, four assists and three steals. Senior Megan Methven (Corning, N.Y./Corning East) and junior Kristen McWhirter (Melvin Village, N.H./New Hampton Prep) each chipped in with nine points for the Skyhawks.
Franklin Pierce finished shooting 49-percent (25-for-51) from the field, including a sizzling 63% (17-27) in the first half to build as much as a 27-point lead before settling for a 17-point halftime advantage. Stonehill shot 39.3-percent (24-for-61) from the field, including 47.1% (8-17) from three-point range.
Franklin Pierce stormed out to a 15-2 lead just 3:37 into the contest on 11 Leedham points, including three three pointers. The Ravens lead stretched to 22 points (31-9) after another Leedham three midway through the opening half on their way to a 27-point bulge (40-13) following a Giroud free-throw with 5:45 remaining in the opening half.
Stonehill was able to get within 17 (47-30) at the break, sparked by a trio of three-pointers from Methven. The Skyhawks carried that late momentum into the second half, scoring the first nine points of the stanza to close within eight (47-39) after a layup from Rousseau with 17:10 still to play in regulation.
Franklin Pierce was able to regain a 12-point margin (51-39) on a Giroud jumper with 15:06 remaining, but Stonehill pulled within seven (53-46) on a McWhirter jumper with 13:14 to go. Following an Ahrens free-throw, the Skyhawks crept within five (54-49) after Simonds made one of two at the line with 11:03 still to play.
That would prove to be as close as Stonehill would get as Franklin Pierce answered by making one of two free-throws at the other end after grabbing three offensive rebounds to spark an 8-2 run over the next six minutes to push its lead back to double-figures (62-51) after an Ahrens layup with 5:52 remaining. The Skyhawks wouldn't get back within double-digits the rest of the way.
Stonehill (8-4, 4-2 NE-10) is off until Monday, December 28, when it visits Molloy College at 4 p.m. The Skyhawks return home on Saturday, January 2, to host the University of Massachusetts Lowell at for an NE-10 matchup at 1:30 p.m. Franklin Pierce (7-0, 5-0 NE-10) hosts Bentley University next Friday at 2 p.m.
