Gonzalez leads Penmen, Ravens
will hit the road in playoffs
MANCHESTER, N.H. (February
18, 2006) - Southern New Hampshire University handed
Franklin Pierce its sixth-straight loss with a 70-56 victory in
Northeast-10 Conference men's basketball action at SNHU Fieldhouse
this afternoon.
While Southern New Hampshire pinned
down home court advantage for the first round of the NE-10
Tournament next Saturday, the loss relegates the Ravens to the road
for the first round, most likely at Merrimack College. Official
pairings will be released following the conclusion of the regular
season on Tuesday night.
Senior Miguel Gonzalez
(Jamaica-Queens, N.Y./Holy Cross) led SNHU with a
game-high 22 points to go with four rebounds and three assists.
Classmate PJ Young (Boston, Mass./Manchester
Central) added 15 points (7-9 shooting from the
field), five rebounds, three assists and two steals, while
sophomore Sam Carey (Manchester,
N.H./Central) nearly notched a double-double with ten
points, eight rebounds and two assists.
Junior Sean Mayo (Saco,
Maine/Thornton Academy) notched Franklin Pierce's
first double-double of the season with 14 points and ten rebounds
(four offensive). Senior Pierre Sully (Jamaica Plains,
Mass./North Cambridge Catholic) added 11 points and
three boards, while sophomore Joseph Chatman (Boston,
Mass./BC High) registered ten points, four assists
and two steals.
SNHU used a 63.6-percent (14-of-22)
shooting effort in the second half to expand on a three-point
(30-27) halftime lead, while Franklin Pierce shot 47.4% (9-19) in
the frame.
SNHU held a 49-45 lead midway
through the second half when the Penmen got two free throws from
sophomore P. Jay Bernard (Brockton, Mass./Loomis
Chaffee) and a three-pointer by Gonzalez for a 54-45
lead with 9:31 left. Neither team scored for the next two minutes,
before the Ravens got a jumper by Chatman.
The teams traded free throws,
before another triple by Gonzalez with 5:37 left gave the hosts a
58-48 lead. The Ravens cut the lead to seven points, 60-53,
following a conventional three-point play by Chatman with 2:41 to
play, but the Penmen got back-to-back lay-ups by Young and
John Baiano (Staten Island, N.Y./St.
Peter's) for a 64-53 advantage with 1:01
left. SNHU maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the way.
Both teams struggled to score early
in the game and SNHU held a 13-6 lead eight minutes into the
game. The Ravens used nine unanswered points to take their
first lead of the game, 15-13, following a lay-up by Sully with
7:08 left before halftime. The teams traded baskets the rest of the
half and a three-pointer by Gonzalez just before the halftime horn
gave the hosts a 30-27 lead.
Franklin Pierce (13-13, 10-11
NE-10) rounds out the regular season on Tuesday when it hosts UMass
Lowell at 7:30 p.m. Southern New Hampshire (17-10, 13-9 NE-10)
completed its regular season slate today and awaits a first round
opponent.
BOXSCORE
