Senior Erin Gray led Stonehill with ten points and nine rebounds tonigth against Franklin Pierce.

#1 Franklin Pierce Shoots Past Stonehill, 71-50

Leedham leads Ravens to 20^th-straight win with season-high 35 points

Boxscore 

EASTON, Mass. (February 3, 2010) - Franklin Pierce University, ranked first in this week's USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Division II poll and NCAA Division II East Regional rankings, shot 54.3-percent from the field in the opening half to build a 22-point halftime lead in posting a 71-50 triumph over Stonehill College, among teams receiving votes nationally and ranked third in the region, in Northeast-10 Conference women's basketball action at Merkert Gymnasium tonight.

Senior All-American Johannah Leedham (Ellesmere Port, England/Cheshire Academy (Conn.)) led Franklin Pierce with a season-high 35 points (24 first half) on 14-of-22 shooting from the field, including 5-for-10 from three-point range, while converting both free-throw attempts to go with six rebounds, four assists, eight steals and four blocked shots. Junior Cynthia Gaudet (Coventry, R.I./LaSalle Academy) added 13 points, four rebounds and four assists, while sophomore Marielle Giroud (Martigny, Switzerland) pulled down and team-high eight rebounds for the Ravens.

Senior Erin Gray (Clifton Park, N.Y./Shenendehowa) led Stonehill with a near double-double of ten points and nine rebounds. Sophomore Tania Williams (South Setauket, N.Y./Ward-Melville) also netted ten points, shooting 4-for-8 from the field and converting both free-throw attempts, to go with five rebounds. Junior Emily Rousseau (Biddeford, Maine/Biddeford) chipped in with eight points, five rebounds and five assists. 

Sophomore Tania Williams also collected ten points to go with five rebounds.

Franklin Pierce finished shooting 45.8-percent (27-for-59) from the field after hitting 54.3% (19-35) in the first half to build a 22-point (47-25) halftime lead. The Ravens posted a 21-7 advantage in points off turnovers, including a 14-2 break in the first half. Stonehill was held to 30% (18-60) shooting from the field, including 28.6% (8-28) in the first half, and made just 4-of-17 (23.5%) three-pointers. The Skyhawks finished with a 41-34 rebounding advantage.

After a Rousseau three-pointer gave Stonehill its only lead of the night (3-2) 30-seconds into the contest, Franklin Pierce assumed control behind Leedham's 24 first half points on 10-of-13 shooting (4-7 from deep). The Ravens reeled off the next 12 points to run out to an 11-point (14-3) lead after a layup by Leedham off her own steal four minutes into the game, on their way to a 14-point (19-5) advantage after a Gaudet three with 13:46 left in the half.

Stonehill was back within ten (19-9) after two Gray free-throws with 13:04 left, when Franklin Pierce posted a 12-3 run to stake out a 19-point lead (31-12) after a jumper by senior Kirsten Doldoorian (Brimfield, Mass./Oxford) at the midway point of the half. The Ravens carried a 22-point lead (47-25) into the break when Leedham found sophomore Jewel White (Worcester, Mass./Doherty Memorial) for a layup with five-seconds left in the opening frame. Stonehill drew within 16 three times in the first ten minutes of the second half, but could get no closer.

Stonehill (17-6, 12-4 NE-10) is back in action on Saturday when it visits the University of Massachusetts Lowell at 1 p.m. The Skyhawks don't return home until Saturday, February 13, for its WBCA PinkZone event against Saint Michael's College at 1:30 p.m. Franklin Pierce (20-0, 16-0 NE-10) hosts Southern New Hampshire University on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.