Ravens overcome sluggish start to defeat Bulldogs

RINDGE, N.H. (January 26, 2002) - Franklin Pierce overcame a sluggish first half to post a 69-59 win over Bryant College in Northeast-10 Conference men's basketball action at the FP
Fieldhouse this afternoon.

Senior forward Kevin Scott (Mississauga, Ontario/Iona Catholic) led Franklin Pierce with his ninth double-double of the season as he totaled 19 points and ten rebounds (five offensive) to go along with a season-high six blocks, three steals and two assists.

Junior V.J. Kwity (Torrance, Calif./West) added 16 points and eight boards, while sophomore Derek Rodgerson (Newburgh, Maine/Hampden Academy) overcame an 0-5 first half shooting performance from the field to net 13 points to go along with three assists.

Sophomore Jason Noel was the lone Bryant player in double figures as he hit ten-of-23 from the field for a game-high 23 points to go along with 12 rebounds (four offensive) for his fourth double-double of the season, to go along with three steals.

The two teams shot miserably in the first half as Franklin Pierce took a 26-25 halftime lead with a 28.6-percent (10-35) shooting effort in the half, including 1-12 (8.3%) from three-point range. Bryant didn't fare much better, hitting 29.7% (11-37) from the field, including 2-9 (22.2%) from beyond the arc.

The Ravens heated up in the second half and hit 59.1% (13-22) in the final 20 minutes, including 5-9 (55.6%) from three-point land. Franklin Pierce also enjoyed a 17-7 scoring advantage at the free-throw line for the contest.

After a Noel layup six-seconds into the second half gave Bryant a 27-26 lead, the Ravens took back the lead for good with a Kwity lay-in 20-seconds later. Franklin Pierce built a 12-point lead (48-36) with 13:03 to play after a 14-2 run.

Bryant would close the gap to two-points (56-54) after a pair of buckets by sophomore Gouty Gaye with 6:24 on the clock.

However, Franklin Pierce iced the game with a 10-2 run over the next five minutes, sparked by an Alfonso Payne (Boston, Mass./Boston Latin Academy) three-pointer.

Franklin Pierce (11-8, 8-7 NE-10) returns to action on Wednesday when it travels to Worcester, Mass., to face the region's top-ranked team, Assumption College, ranked No. 14 in the country at 7:30 p.m. Bryant (4-14, 1-13 NE-10) hosts UMass Lowell on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.