Balanced attack, tremendous
rebounding effort leads Ravens past region's No. 6
RINDGE, N.H. (January 28,
2006) - Franklin Pierce claimed its biggest win of the
season with a 73-71 victory over Bryant University, ranked sixth in
this week's NCAA Division II Northeast regional poll, in a key
Northeast-10 Conference battle at the Franklin Pierce Fieldhouse
this afternoon.
Franklin Pierce again dominated on
the glass, finishing with a 47-38 advantage on the boards as the
Ravens snared 22 on the offensive end alone and used a balanced
scoring attack to post its ninth win over its last 12 games. The
win was also the Ravens season-best fourth in a row and first in
six games this season against a regionally ranked opponent.
Senior Pierre Sully
(Jamaica Plain, Mass./North Cambridge) led Franklin
Pierce with 17 points, hitting 5-of-10 from three-point range, to
go with seven rebounds and two steals. Junior Sean Mayo
(Saco, Maine/Thornton Academy) added a season-high 16
points, hitting 7-12 from the field (2-2 three's), and seven
rebounds (six offensive), while classmate Darryl
Minnifield (Boston, Mass./Brookline) totaled 13
points (12 first half), three boards and three
steals.
Senior Justin Powell
(Brookline, Mass./Brookline) finished with 12 points,
aided by 8-of-10 shooting from the line, and grabbed a game-high
nine rebounds (seven offensive), including the 500th of
his career. He is just one of 16 in program history to reach the
milestone.
Bryant squandered a season-best
effort from senior John Williams (Springfield,
Mass./Longmeadow), who netted a game-best 30 points
on 9-of-21 shooting from the field, including 6-11 from beyond the
arc, while draining all six of his free-throw attempts. He also
added three rebounds (all offensive), three assists and three
steals. Junior Nathaniel Sudlow (Brooklyn,
N.Y./Tilden) was the only other Bulldog in
double-figures, adding 21 points off the bench on 8-9 shooting from
the field (2-2 three's) and four boards.
While the Bulldogs top scorers were
a combined 17-of-30 (.567) from the floor, the rest of the team was
8-28 (28.6%). Junior Dan Hammond (Brunswick,
Maine/Brunswick) matched the game-high with nine
rebounds to go with three blocks, while freshman Nick
Pontes (New Bedford, Mass./New Bedford) chipped in
seven points and six boards off the bench.
Franklin Pierce committed just 14
turnovers, to 17 for Bryant, but the Bulldogs turned those into 23
points at the other end as the contest featured nine ties and 11
lead changes. The Ravens buried 50-percent (9-18) of their shots
from three-point range despite shooting just 34.8% (23-66) from the
field, compared to 43.1% (25-58) shooting for
Bryant.
The hosts settled for an
eight-point lead at the break (42-34) after leading by ten on three
different occasions late in the first half. Bryant stormed back and
forced a 50-50 tie after a Williams three-pointer with 12:40 to
play.
Bryant completed a 12-1 run to take
a four-point lead (55-51) after a conventional three-point play
from Sudlow with 11:52 on the clock. Sudlow hit a three-pointer to
put the Bulldogs back up three (61-58) with 8:35 to go, but Powell
scored a lay-up and converted a free-throw to force the third tie
of the half (61-61) with 7:32 to go.
Senior Tom Sadler
(London, England/Farmington (N.H.) HS) canned a
jumper with 5:37 to go that put Franklin Pierce up three (65-62)
with 5:37 left, but Sudlow hit a lay-up and Williams buried a
three-pointer to give Bryant the lead (67-66) with 3:33 to go.
Williams hit two free-throws, then
Mayo drained his second three-pointer of the night to put the host
in front for good (70-69) with 2:04 to go. After a Bryant miss,
sophomore Joseph Chatman (Boston, Mass./BC
High) scored a driving lay-up to put the hosts up
three (72-69) with 1:16 to go. Hammond pulled the Bulldogs back
within a point with 46-seconds left and the visitors were given a
chance to take the lead, after the hosts allowed the shot clock to
run out. Junior Chris Burns (Merrimack,
N.H./Merrimack) missed a jumper just inside the foul
line with three-seconds left and Minnifield hit one of two at the
line to ice it with a second on the clock.
Franklin Pierce (12-7, 9-5 NE-10)
is on the road Wednesday when it visits Assumption College at 7:30
p.m. Bryant (13-7, 8-7 NE-10) hosts UMass Lowell on Wednesday at
7:30 p.m.
BOXSCORE
