RINDGE, N.H. (March 9, 2013) -- The Franklin Pierce
University men's basketball team couldn't shake off a sluggish
first half performance and dropped an 85-74 decision to Southern
New Hampshire on Saturday in the Northeast-10 Conference
Championship game in The Fieldhouse in Rindge. The fourth-seeded
Ravens fell to 21-8, while the sixth-seeded Penmen improved to
19-10.
B.J. Cardarelli led four Penmen who
scored in double-figures as he dumped in 23 points on 9-of-13
shooting from the field. Southern New Hampshire staged an
impressive shooting performance on the afternoon as the Penmen shot
55 percent (28-of-51) from the floor.
Mike Stys netted 18 points, while
Rodney Sanders followed with 17 as he went on to be named the Most
Outstanding Player of the NE-10 championship. Elijah Bonsignore
came off the bench to pump in 11 points for SNHU.
For as hot as SNHU was shooting the
basketball, the Ravens were the opposite as they connected on just
43 percent of their attempts, including 28 percent from behind the
arc.
Junior forward Ellis Cooper
(Northampton, Mass.) left it all on the court in the loss
as he went for 23 points and eight rebounds, while also swiping
five steals, blocking two shots and dishing out a pair of assists.
Senior guard Eric Jean-Guillaume (Stamford, Conn.)
and sophomore forward Ryen Vilmont (Philadelphia,
Pa.) each netted 15 points.
Cooper and Jean-Guillaume were
named to the NE-10 All-Championship Team for their efforts. Cooper
averaged a double-double in points and rebounds during the
three-game tournament.
Cooper gave the Ravens an early
12-10 lead off a steal and coast-to-coast jam, but it was all
Southern New Hampshire after that as the Penmen rallied with
10-straight points -- kick-started by a Stys three-pointer -- to go
up by eight with 11:41 remaining until halftime.
The Ravens tried to get back in it
and a floater in the lane from junior guard Scotty
Tavares-Taylor (Roxbury, Mass.) pulled Franklin Pierce to
within two at 22-20 with 6:51 to go. However, SNHU countered once
again and closed out the half on a 16-4 run to take a commanding
38-24 lead at halftime. Cardarelli sparked the closing surge with
seven points, including a deep three from the right wing.
Southern New Hampshire kept up the
momentum in the second half and took a 16-point lead at 50-34 with
15:28 remaining following a three-ball from Sanders. The Penmen
kept their lead around 9-to-11 points for a majority of the closing
minutes to seal the championship and the NE-10's automatic bid to
next weekend's NCAA Division II Tournament East Regional.
Despite the loss, Franklin Pierce
will still earn an at-large bid to next weekend's national
tournament. The Ravens will get official word of their first round
matchup on Sunday evening during the NCAA Selection show at
www.ncaa.com(.)
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 Twitter
(www.twitter.com/FranklinPierceRavens). Fans wishing to purchase
Franklin Pierce men's basketball apparel can do so on the athletic
department's online store at
athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store(.)
