RINDGE, N.H. (January 26, 2013) – The Franklin
Pierce University men's basketball team could not close out
Pace on Saturday as the Ravens let a large double-digit second half
lead slip away in a 65-62 setback to the Setters at The Fieldhouse
in Rindge. Franklin Pierce fell to 12-5 overall and 9-4 in league
play, while the Setters improved to 9-8 and 6-7 in league play.
Senior guard Eric
Jean-Guillaume (Stamford, Conn.) pumped in a game-high 19
points, while junior forward Ellis Cooper (Northampton,
Mass.) followed with 15.
The Ravens raced out to a 13-point
halftime lead on the strength of a 52 percent shooting clip in the
first half. However, the second half proved a much different story
as Franklin Pierce converted on just 39 percent of its attempts and
let a 16-point lead slip through their fingers.
Jonathan Merceus tossed in a
game-high tying 19 points, including 15 in the second half as Pace
overcame a 30-percent shooting performance in the first half with
an outstanding 55 percent clip (17-of-31) in the second 20
minutes.
Keon Williams and Denzel
Primus-Devonish each netted 14 points, while Kai Smith chipped in
11. Smith had nine of his points in the second half, while Williams
and Primus-Devonish followed with eight and seven,
respectively.
Franklin Pierce closed out the
first half strong by scoring 16 of the last 19 points, including
six points from freshman forward Kalusha Ndoumbe Ngollo
(Paris, France), to build a 37-24 lead at halftime.
Jean-Guillaume rained in a three-pointer seconds into the second
half and Franklin Pierce found itself holding a comfortable 40-24
advantage.
However, the game changed hands
from that point on and it was practically all Pace. The Setters
scored 12 of the next 18 points, including three-consecutive
baskets from Merceus to pull within 10 at 46-36 with 14:52
left.
Franklin Pierce countered with a
mini-surge and eventually went up 57-42 with 9:36 to go following a
layup from Adrianos Vourliotakis Perdikaris (Cholargos,
Athens). But the Setters responded and scored 14-straight
points, keyed by five points from Primus-Devonish and four from
Merceus, to get within one.
Merceus knotted the score at 60-60
with 2:22 remaining with a driving layup and put the Setters up by
one with a free throw on their next possession.
After two more free throws for Pace
made it 63-60, Jean-Guillaume dropped in a jumper at the other end.
Another pair of free throws for the Setters made it a three-point
advantage and Jean-Guillaume tried to try it at the buzzer, but his
attempt came up short as Pace pulled off the upset win.
Pace held a 26-10 advantage in
points in the paint in the second half and also forced the Ravens
into eight turnovers, which the Setters scored 15 points off of.
Pace did a good job of taking care of the basketball and committed
just two turnovers.
Franklin Pierce returns to action
Tuesday night when the Ravens play host to American International
at 7:30 p.m. in The Fieldhouse in Rindge.
For more information on Franklin
Pierce men's basketball, please visit the team's page
at athletics.franklinpierce.edu(.) To follow the program even
further, please visit Franklin Pierce Athletics on YouTube (www.youtube.com/FranklinPierceSports),
Twitter (www.twitter.com/FPUathletics)
and Facebook (www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens).
Fans wishing to purchase men's basketball apparel can do so
on the athletic department's online store at
athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store(.)
