by Casey Williams
All 13 Ravens, including the injured Tori Ahrens, got in on the action Friday night, as Franklin Pierce opened up its 2010 NCAA tournament run with a 71-46 victory over Nyack College.
Senior Johannah Leedham led the team in scoring and rebounding, with 17 points and 12 boards. Junior guard Cynthia Gaudet chipped in 13 points, going 9-for-10 from the free throw line, and sophomore Marielle Giroud added 11.
Fitchburg State College serves as the Ravens' homecourt while hosting the 2010 NCAA Women's Division II East Regional Tournament.
The Ravens opened up the game on a 21-4 run, which Nyack senior Kelsy McIntosh broke with a three-pointer with 9:04 remaining in the first half. The Nyack College Warriors, who finish their season with a 21-12 record, play in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference.
“Its nice when you only have to play somebody once,” said Franklin Pierce Head Coach Steve Hancock. “It gets hard when you play the Stonehills and the Bentleys three times. I think its fun for the team to play someone new.”
Franklin Pierce and Nyack met only once earlier this year, as the two teams opened up their respective seasons against each other on November 17. Franklin Pierce won the contest 86-51, but Nyack went on to win the CACC regular season title and the Conference Championship.
Warriors Head Coach Josh Thompson said, “We knew we needed to shoot the ball well to win, and we didn’t shoot the ball well. We were 3-for-23 from 3-point range.”
Nyack undermined their play by committing 20 team fouls. Senior guard and team leader Jasmine Minter sat a majority of the second half after picking up her fourth foul with almost 19 minutes left to play.
“If she’s not on the floor, we’re a different team,” said Thompson. Minter finished with 13 points, five rebounds and five assists.
The highlight for Franklin Pierce came with 7:27 remaining in the game. Injured center Tori Ahrens entered the game defensively, and scored on a pass from Leedham on her first offensive possession. She finished with four points in two minutes of playing time.
“It was hard,” said Ahrens. “I know I’m not where I’d like to be, but I’m going to keep rehabbing and hopefully we keep winning.”
Ahrens tore her ACL and sustained other structural damage to her left knee in a win against New Haven on March 3. She has been strengthening her leg in preparation for surgery, but had hinted at a possible return to the court this season. Friday night was the night.
“We were hoping to get her a minute or two,” said Hancock. “She’s worked hard and she deserved it. Maybe if we can get by the Region here, in the next couple of weeks we can get some more minutes out of her.”
Franklin Pierce will next face off against Molloy College Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. Molloy advanced by defeating Pace University 52-36 on Friday.
“We’ll have to play a little bit better on the defensive end tomorrow night,” said Hancock.
The No. 2-nationally ranked Ravens continue on in the NCAA East Regional tournament Saturday, March 13, at 7:30 p.m. at Fitchburg State College. Tickets are $7 for adults, and $5 for children, seniors and college students with an ID. Game audio will also be available at the Athletics website.