Minnifield's career-best 20 points
lifts Ravens to first win in six games
SMITHFIELD, R.I. (December
30, 2004) - Franklin Pierce snapped a five-game losing
streak as it held off a late rally by New Jersey Institute of
Technology for a 61-57 victory in day two action of the Comfort
Suites Holiday Classic, hosted by Bryant University, at the Chace
Wellness & Athletic Center this evening.
Sophomore point guard
Darryl Minnifield (Boston,
Mass./Brookline) led the way for Franklin Pierce as
he canned a career-best four three-pointers (on six attempts) for a
career-high 21 points, also aided by a nine-of-ten effort at the
free-throw line, to go with five rebounds.
Junior forward Justin
Powell (Brookline, Mass./Brookline) added 12 points
and six rebounds, while classmate Pierre Sully (Jamaica
Plain, Mass./North Cambridge) contributed eight
points and six rebounds. Freshman Dominik Johnson (Los
Angeles, Calif./A.B. Miller) chipped in with a
game-high eight rebounds.
NJIT was led by sophomore
Clayton Barker's (Passaic, N.J./Passaic)
19 points. Freshman James Hurt (South Hempstead,
N.Y./Southside) added 11 points (all second-half),
six steals and three assists, while sophomore Marc
Milbourne Swan (Pleasantville, N.J./Holy Spirit)
chipped in nine points and four boards.
Franklin Pierce scored the first
six points of the second half to open a 14-point advantage 3:44
into the stanza after a put back from junior Douaine
Anderson (Wolverhampton, England). Hurt then nearly
single-handedly got NJIT back into the game as he scored
six-straight points to spark a 10-2 to get the Highlanders back
within six points (46-40) with 10:30 to play.
The Ravens regained a 12-point lead
(57-45) after a lay-up from junior Tom Sadler (Oxford,
England/Farmington (N.H.)) with 5:59 to play, but
NJIT limited them to just one field goal over the final six
minutes, allowing them to make one last run.
The Highlanders trailed by just two
points (59-57) with 1:11 to play after a pair of Barker
free-throws, but that was all NJIT would get as it turned the ball
over with 24-seconds to play after Minnifield missed a jumper at
the other end. Minnifield was fouled and canned a pair of
free-throw attempts with 14-seconds to ice the Ravens third victory
of the season.
Franklin Pierce held NJIT to
33.3-percent (14-42) shooting for the contest, but the Highlanders
stayed in the contest by hitting 25-of-26 attempts at the
free-throw line (15-16 second half), outscoring the Ravens 25-14 at
the stripe on the night. The Ravens shot just 38.9% (21-54) from
the field, including 33.3% (9-27) over the final 20 minutes, but
they out-scored the Highlanders 17-7 on second-chance baskets
thanks to a 40-26 advantage on the glass. The Ravens were
out-rebounded by just one (19-18) on their end of the floor for the
night.
Franklin Pierce (3-6, 1-3 NE-10)
returns to action after the New Year when it visits Pace University
for a Northeast-10 Conference battle on Monday at 7:30 p.m. NJIT
(5-7, 4-1 CACC) hosts Wilmington College next Wednesday at 8
p.m.
BOX
SCORE
