RINDGE, NH – A pair of scoring droughts that occurred throughout the latter stages of each half hampered The College of Saint Rose in its upset bid that yielded a 75-60 setback at top-ranked and Northeast-10 Conference rival Franklin Pierce this afternoon.
The Golden Knights (5-9/4-5 NE-10) held a one point lead at the eight minute mark of the first half, and were within nine at the seven minute juncture of the second period, before the Ravens (13-0/9-0) responded with decisive runs that kept their unblemished record intact at the midway point of the 2009-10 campaign.
Sophomore guard
Ashley Rath scored 19 points and pulled down six rebounds, while senior guard
Elizabeth Buckley registered all 18 of her points in the second half to lead Saint Rose. Also, junior guard
Lynsey Timbrouck finished with six points, eight rebounds and 10 assists while logging the entire 40 minutes.
Saint Rose was outrebounded by a 45-37 margin and was further hindered by 31.7 percent (20-for-63) shooting from the floor. Conversely, the Ravens (13-0/9-0 NE-10) canned 50.9 percent (29-for-57) of their opportunities.
The Golden Knights were in business throughout the initial 12 minutes of the first half that featured three ties and seven lead changes, before sophomore guard
Adrianna Gaeta drained a jumper that made it 22-19 Saint Rose with 8:11 left until intermission. However, Franklin Pierce dug in and limited the Golden Knights to one field goal throughout the rest of the period that allowed the Ravens to walk into the locker room with a 41-29 halftime lead.
Saint Rose clawed its way to back to within six, 43-37, during the opening three minutes of the second period thanks to Buckley who knocked down a jumper and a pair of 3-pointers during that span. However, Franklin Pierce responded with 10 unanswered points throughout the next four minutes that boosted its margin to 16, 53-37, with 13:44 to go. The Golden Knights got no closer than nine the rest of the way.
Senior guard and two-time NE-10 Player of the Year Johannah Leedham lived up to her billing by finishing with 23 points, eight rebounds, six assists and four steals to lead Franklin Pierce. Junior center Tori Ahrens finished with 13 points and nine rebounds in just 22 minutes, while junior guard Cynthia Gaudet wound up with 15 points and six assists.
Up next, both teams have 5:30 pm league games on tap for Tuesday. The Golden Knights will host Southern New Hampshire, while the Ravens are scheduled to visit New Haven.
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