Feb. 24, 2010

Box Score

Senior F Johanna Leedham compiled 24 points, 14 rebounds, six steals and five assists as No. 2 Franklin Pierce University defeated UMass Lowell, 91-38, Wednesday night in a Northeast-10 Conference women’s basketball tilt at the FPU Fieldhouse.

With the loss, UMass Lowell ends the regular season with a 16-10 record and a 12-10 clip in the NE-10 and will receive the No. 7 seed in the NE-10 Tournament. The River Hawks will host No. 10 American International College (11-16, 9-13 NE-10) Sunday at 1:00.

The winner will visit No. 2 Pace Tuesday at 7:00.

Franklin Pierce, which captured its second straight NE-10 regular season championship, improved to 25-1 overall and 21-1 in the Conference. The Ravens will bypass the NE-10 Tournament first round and host the winner of No. 8 New Haven and No. 9 Southern Connecticut Tuesday at 7:00.

Franklin Pierce opened the game with a 27-2 run – led by 11 points from Leedham – and capitalized on 12 turnovers by the River Hawks. The Ravens, who shot .524 from the field (33-63) and .500 from long range (13-26), led at the break, 41-12.

Junior F Sha’Nay Bushner (Akron, OH) and senior G Rahshala Valentine (Cincinnati, OH) each scored nine points to lead UMass Lowell. Bushner also grabbed a team-high six rebounds.

Leedham converted 7 of 14 field goal attempts while senior G Kristen Doldoorian added 14 points and six steals (5-9 FG shooting, 4-6 treys). Junior G Cynthia Gaudet also scored 14 points on 5-8 FG shooting.