Pace Edges Franklin Pierce, 74-71 (2OT)
Leedham breaks school free-throw record, nets 500th point of season in defeat
RINDGE, N.H. (January 31, 2007) - Pace University, ranked eighth in this week's NCAA Division II Northeast Regional rankings, edged sixth-ranked Franklin Pierce, 74-71 in double-overtime in Northeast-10 Conference women's basketball action at the Fieldhouse tonight.
Pace connected on 7-of-8 free-throws (87.5%) in the extra periods, while Franklin Pierce hit just 3-6 from the stripe in that time. Both teams shot 50-percent from the floor in the extra sessions, but the Setters hit one more three-pointer (2-4) than the Ravens (1-4).
Junior Stephanie Klingele (Staten Island, N.Y./St. John Villa) led Pace with 24 points, burying 5-of-10 three-point attempts, five rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Senior Ashley Wallace (Oswego, N.Y./Oswego) posted 21 points, shooting 10-of-14 from the floor, to go with eight rebounds, three blocked shots and two steals. Senior Hannah Sheppard (Norwich, Conn./Norwich Free) posted a double-double with 14 points, a game-high 15 rebounds, four assists and two steals, while classmate Liran Buchris (Massad, Israel) chipped in 13 points and seven assists.
The loss spoiled a record-setting night for freshman Johannah Leedham (Ellesmere Port, England/Cheshire Academy), who also became the first player since Kelly Jewett in 1992-93 to reach the 500-point plateau in a season tonight. Leedham finished with a game-high 32 points (21 second half) as she hit 12-of-24 shots from the field, including 4-5 from three-point range, and converted 4-5 free-throw attempts. With her first two free-throws of the night, Leedham broke the program's single-season record of 147 set by Kari Hunt in 1997-98. She has now converted 150-of-185 free-throw attempts this season - 25 more than the rest of the team combined.
Leedham also added a team-best 12 rebounds for her ninth double-double of the season to go with three steals, two assists and a blocked shot. The 30-point outing is her sixth of the season. Sophomore Vanessa Power (Mildura, Australia) added 10 points (all first half), a career-high eight rebounds and two blocks, while classmate Jennifer Leedham (Ellesmere Port, England/Cheshire Academy) chipped in ten points (all second half), six assists and three steals.
Franklin Pierce opened the second half with a 14-3 run to turn a one-point halftime deficit into a ten-point lead (42-32) after a Johannah Leedham jumper with 14:47 left in regulation. The Ravens lead was seven (49-42) after a Jess McPherson (Croydon, Australia) basket with 8:37 to go, when Pace used a 9-3 run to close within a point (52-51) on a Buchris jumper with 3:55 left.
Pace took its first lead since halftime (55-53) with a Sheppard put back with 2:07 to play. The Ravens forced the third tie of the night on a Johannah Leedham jumper with 1:47 left and the teams were a combined 0-4 from the field with a turnover through the rest of regulation. The Ravens had two shots at the win in the final 32-seconds, but Leedham missed a pair of layups after timeouts.
Pace jumped out to a four-point lead (61-57) 1:42 into the first overtime period after a Klingele three. Jennifer and Johannah Leedham scored layups over the next 2:30 to knot the score at 61-61 with 46-seconds left in the extra frame. Buchris put the Setters back in front with a layup with 18-seconds to go, but Johannah Leedham answered with a game-tying layup with seven seconds left to force double-overtime.
Junior Josie Lidke (Chaska, Minn./Chaska) hit one of two at the stripe to put Franklin Pierce in front (64-63) to open the second overtime, but Pace scored the next seven points, including five from Klingele, to take its largest lead of the game (70-64) with 1:32 on the clock. Johannah Leedham scored a layup and sister Jennifer buried a three-pointer after a Setters miss to draw within a point (70-69) with 30-seconds left.
Sheppard was fouled and hit two free-throws with 14-seconds left (72-69). Franklin Pierce had a shot to tie, however, junior Stephanie Bergeron (Pointe Claire, Quebec/Dawson College) opted for a layup with six-seconds to go. Buchris was then fouled and hit two free-throws, giving the Ravens one last chance. Johannah Leedham passed up the game-tying shot at the top of the key to Jennifer Leedham, but the three-point heave was off the mark at the buzzer.
Franklin Pierce (15-7, 11-6 NE-10) is back in action on Saturday when it visits the University of Massachusetts Lowell at 2 p.m. The Ravens are back home on Saturday, February 10, to host Saint Anselm College at 1:30 p.m. Pace (15-6, 10-6 NE-10) visits Saint Anselm on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.