Duncan's 22 second-half points (14 free-throws) lead Warriors comeback
Varanauskas posts double-double effort of 35 pts & 15 rbs for Ravens

Boxscore 

RINDGE, N.H. (December 22, 2008) - Merrimack College, among teams receiving votes in the most recent National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division II poll, overcame an eight-point second half deficit to claim an 83-77 victory over Franklin Pierce University in Northeast-10 Conference men's basketball action at the Fieldhouse this afternoon.

Junior Darren Duncan (Briarwood, N.Y./Christ the King) scored 22 of his team-high 26 points after halftime to lead Merrimack to victory, adding eight assists, six rebounds, four steals and a blocked shot. He made 6-of-16 shots from the field, but was aided by a 14-for-16 effort at the free-throw line - taking all 16 attempts in the final 8:19 of the contest when the Warriors trailed by five.

Sophomore Darin Mency (Hagerstown, Md./St. Johns Catholic Prep) added 24 points (16 first half), hitting 4-of-8 three-pointers, to go with six rebounds and two assists. Freshman Wayne Mack (Paterson, N.J./Paterson Catholic) posted 15 points, while junior Craig Woehnker (Colts Neck, N.J./Christian Brothers Academy) chipped in ten points in 11 minutes off the bench.

Franklin Pierce got a monster effort from senior Rimas Varanauskas (Kaunas, Lithuania/The Winchendon School), who netted a career-best 35 points on 12-of-18 shooting from the field, including 4-for-6 from three-point range, while converting 7-of-10 free-throws on the day. He also grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds to post his second-straight double-double (fourth of the season/6^th career).

The Ravens also got double-double performances from junior Jack Barrett (Reading, Mass./Andover) and sophomore Kinard Dozier (Dedham, Mass./The Winchendon School). Barrett posted 11 points to go with a career-best 12 assists (just one turnover) for his first career double-double, while Dozier notched his first double-double of the season (second career) with 15 points and a career-high matching ten rebounds. Junior Marcus Wellman (Monroe, Conn./Hamden Hall) chipped in a season-high ten points off the bench.

Franklin Pierce led by as much as eight in the second half before Merrimack put together a late comeback. The Ravens largest lead came on a Wellman lay up for a 46-38 advantage with 13:49 remaining. Trailing by seven at the midpoint of the second half, Merrimack embarked on a 28-9 run over the next seven minutes to take a 71-59 lead, its largest of the night, with 3:15 to play. Duncan provided nearly half of the push as he contributed 13 points to the run. 

Franklin Pierce worked the clock and fouls to narrow the deficit to six points before time ran out and Merrimack escaped with the victory.

Franklin Pierce emerged from a first half that featured six ties and seven lead changes with a five-point advantage (37-32) after closing the frame with a 17-6 run. Varanauskas drained a trio of three-pointers during that stretch. The run came on the heels of a 17-6 Merrimack run that put the Warriors up six (26-20) with 5:28 to play in the frame.

Franklin Pierce shot 43.1-percent (28-for-65) from the floor, including 45.5% (15-33) in the second half, while Merrimack connected at 42.9% (27-63) from the field, including 46.7% (14-30) in the second half. Franklin Pierce dominated the glass, posting a 47-32 rebounding advantage, but 18 turnovers (compared to ten for Merrimack) resulted in a 17-8 disadvantage in point off turnovers. The Warriors also out-scored the hosts 21-15 at the free-throw line.

Franklin Pierce was returning to action for the first time in nearly two weeks after the University was shut down for eight days due to the ice storm which hit the Northeast on December 11-12. Merrimack was returning from a 16-day layoff due to final exams.

Franklin Pierce (4-5, 1-4 NE-10) is off until the New Year, when it will host Adelphi University in a non-conference clash on Saturday, January 3, at 3:30 p.m. Merrimack (7-1, 5-1 NE-10) participates in the University of Bridgeport Holiday Classic, December 29-30.