February 5, 2008
#23 FRANKLIN PIERCE DEFEATS BRYANT WOMEN 65-56
TUESDAY
BOX SCORE
RINDGE, N.H. - Sophomore All-American Johanna Leedham scored a
game-high 26 points while sophomore Jess McPherson added a
career-best 14 as No. 23 Franklin Pierce made eight free throws in
the final minute to pull out a 65-56 win over Bryant in
Northeast-10 Conference women's basketball here Tuesday evening.
Franklin Pierce 18-4 (13-4 NE-10), ranked No. 3 in the NCAA
Northeast Region, opened the second half with a 12-1 run to break a
29-29 halftime deadlock and jump out in front 43-31. Two
baskets by McPherson pushed the Ravens lead to 45-34 forcing the
Bulldogs to burn a timeout.
Bryant (14-8, 9-8 NE-10) would not go away just yet. A
three-pointer from Cara Johnson (Endicott, NY)
followed by a three from sophomore Kelsey O'Keefe (Warren,
MA) closed the lead to 45-40.
Freshman Kelli Reynolds (Milford, CT) drained a
pair of free throws and O'Keefe would later drain her third three
of the half and the Bulldogs were back within a basket, 49-47 with
just over five minutes left.
Bryant would go ice-cold from the floor in the final five
minutes, scoring two field goals while the Ravens closed out the
win with excellent shooting from the free throw line.
The first half saw the Bulldogs use strong defensive pressure to
forge a 29-29 tie at the break against the high-scoring Ravens. A
Leedham steal at midcourt and layup put the Ravens up 15-9 early,
but five-straight points off the bench by Stephanie
Fontaine (Franklin, MA) helped the Bulldogs get back to
within a point at 17-16.
A three from FPC's Vanessa Power was answered by another
Fontaine basket in the lane and Lynne-Ann Kokoski
(Hatfield, MA) drained a short jumper to make it 20-20.
A three from the top of the key by Reynolds gave the Bulldogs a
brief 29-27 lead with 35 seconds left before the half but a slicing
drive by Leedham sent both teams into the locker room at the break
tied at 29-29.
Bryant shot just 32 percent from the floor in the game and made
just 10 of 21 from the free throw line. Franklin Pierce
finished shooting 42.3 percent and made good on 17 of 24 free
throws. O'Keefe led the Bulldogs with 11 points.
Bryant will host American International College Saturday at 1:30
p.m.
* * *
At Fieldhouse - Rindge, N.H.
FRANKLIN PIERCE 65, BRYANT 56
BRYANT (14-8, 9-8 NE-10)
Kelsey O'Keefe 4-9 0-0 11; Lynne-Ann Kokoski 4-9 0-1 9; Kelli
Reynolds 2-5 3-8 8; Cara Johnson 3-12 0-0 8; Stephanie Fontaine 3-5
1-2 7; Court Schermerhorn 1-5 4-4 7; Siamone Bennett 1-3 2-4 4;
Lindsey Hudspeth 1-6 0-0 2; Adrianne Mayshar 0-0 0-0 0; Jamie
Campbell 0-2 0-2 0; Amanda Pierlioni 0-0 0-0 0; Kristin Mraz 0-4
0-0 0. Totals 19-60 10-21 56.
FRANKLIN PIERCE (18-4, 13-4 NE-10)
Johannah Leedham 9-16 7-9 26; Jess McPherson 5-8 4-7 14; Josie
Lidke 2-5 3-4 8; Toby Martin 2-6 1-2 6; Jennifer Leedham 1-6 2-2 4;
Tori Ahrens 2-6 0-0 4; Vanessa Power 1-2 0-0 3; Ashley Robinson 0-0
0-0 0; Cynthia Gaudet 0-2 0-0 0; Alexis Auffray 0-1 0-0 0; Melissa
Kapela 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 22-52 17-24 65.
Halftime: Tied 29-29
3-point goals--Bryant 8-23 (Kelsey O'Keefe 3-5; Cara Johnson 2-6;
Lynne-Ann Kokoski 1-1; Court Schermerhorn 1-2; Kelli Reynolds 1-2;
Kristin Mraz 0-3; Lindsey Hudspeth 0-4), Franklin Pierce 4-14
(Josie Lidke 1-3; Vanessa Power 1-2; Johannah Leedham 1-2; Toby
Martin 1-4; Cynthia Gaudet 0-1; Jennifer Leedham 0-2). Fouled
out--Bryant-None, Franklin Pierce-Jess McPherson; Melissa Kapela.
Rebounds--Bryant 37 (Kelli Reynolds 6), Franklin Pierce 42 (Josie
Lidke 8). Assists--Bryant 9 (Lynne-Ann Kokoski 5), Franklin Pierce
15
(Johannah Leedham 6; Jennifer Leedham 6). Total fouls--Bryant
21, Franklin Pierce 20. Technical fouls--Bryant-None, Franklin
Pierce-None. A-341
Franklin Pierce ranked 23rd in USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Division II
Poll, third in
NCAA II Northeast Region Poll. Bryant ranked sixth in Northeast
Region.
FP: Jess McPherson career-high 14 points.
