McLellan nets career-high 31
points
RINDGE, N.H. (December 3,
2003) - The Franklin Pierce men's basketball team fell to
Bentley 78-77 at the Franklin Pierce Fieldhouse in a Northeast-10
Conference matchup this evening as a layup from sophomore guard
Tim Forbes (Attleboro, Mass./Attleboro/Northfield-Mt.
Herman) put the Falcons in front by one with seven
seconds remaining in regulation.
Forbes led Bentley with a
career-high 32 points, including four-of-six from three-point range
and a perfect 4-4 at the free-throw line while also contributing
five assists and five rebounds. Sophomore guard Sean
Cooke (East Windsor, N.J./Notre Dame) added 16 points
including 4-9 from three-point range. Senior guard Pat
Lynch (Belmar, N.J./Christian Brothers Academy) and
junior center Greg Lacasse (Rochester,
N.H./Spaulding) both contributed 11 points and five
rebounds each in the victory.
Franklin Pierce freshman
Ryan McLellan (Newport, Maine/Nokomis)
totaled a game-high and career-best 31 points, aided by a perfect
7-7 at the free-throw line and 4-7 from three-point range. Senior
guards Derek Rodgerson (Newburgh, Maine/Hampden
Academy) and Jimmie Hunt (Utica,
N.Y./Mount Ararat (Maine)) helped out with 19 and 13,
points respectively. Rodgerson was 8-12 from the field and Hunt was
4-4 from the free-throw line with six rebounds.
Bentley narrowly outshot Franklin
Pierce in the first, going 14-30 (46.7%) while the Ravens were
13-29 (44.8%), but with 57% shooting from thee-point range, took an
eight-point lead to the locker room at halftime.
However, Franklin Pierce stormed
back in the second, shooting 50% (15-30), 55.6% (5-9) from
three-point range and 87.5% (7-8) from the line. With the score
tied at 53 and just under ten minutes remaining in the second,
McLellan nailed back to back threes followed by a jumper from Hunt
to put the Ravens up by eight, their largest lead of the game.
The Falcons managed to climb back
with less than two minutes on the clock as Lynch and Cooke sunk
consecutive three pointers to cut Franklin Pierce's lead to one.
Forbes then tipped in the winning basket with seven seconds
remaining, giving Bentley a slim one point advantage. McLellan
tried to steal the win for the Ravens, but his three-point attempt
at the buzzer was no good.
Franklin Pierce (3-3, 2-2 NE-10)
returns to the court on Saturday when it travels to Merrimack for a
Conference game at 3 p.m. Bentley (3-2, 3-1 NE-10) next faces
Shepherd at the Rotary Pocono Classic in East Stroudsburg,
Pennsylvania on Friday at 5:00 p.m.
BOX
SCORE
