Franklin Pierce Sweeps Assumption, 79-73
Hunt and Rodgerson lead Ravens to regular-season series sweep of 'Hounds
RINDGE, N.H. (February 19, 2003) - Franklin Pierce never trailed, but had to fend off several serious charges in posting a 79-73 victory over Assumption College in Northeast-10 Conference men's basketball action at Laska Gym tonight.
Franklin Pierce remains within a half game of eighth-place Bryant College, who topped Southern New Hampshire University tonight, with the win. The Ravens must win Saturday's regular season finale with American International College and Bryant must drop its final two games (at UMass Lowell, at Merrimack) to clinch a home game in the upcoming Northeast-10 Conference Tournament set to get underway March 1.
Franklin Pierce's junior backcourt duo of Jimmie Hunt (Utica, N.Y./Mount Ararat (Maine)) and Derek Rodgerson (Newburgh, Maine/Hampden Academy) both hit the 20-point mark, combining for 43 of the Ravens 79 points, hitting a combined 15-28 (53.6-percent) of their shots from the field, including 5-10 from three-point range, and canning 8-11 free-throw attempts for the night. Hunt finished with a game-high 23 points (14 second half) to go with four rebounds and three assists, while Rodgerson added 20 points (15 second half) and three assists.
Senior forward Sharod Campbell (Dorchester, Mass./Boston English) swarmed the glass for a game-best 13 rebounds (seven offensive) to go with seven points, while classmate Tom Waterman (Bangor, Maine/Bangor) chipped in eight points, six assists, four steals and three boards.
Junior James Lambert led Assumption with 17 points, on 7-12 shooting from the floor, five rebounds and two assists. Sophomore Brian Robinson totaled 16 points and eight rebounds (four offensive), while junior Shahar Golan added ten points, eight assists and three steals. Classmate Elijah Bland chipped in 12 points, aided by 3-5 shooting from beyond the arc, off the bench.
Franklin Pierce roared out of the gates, netting the game's first ten points in building a 16-4 advantage five minutes into the contest. Hunt, Rodgerson and redshirt freshman Tom Sadler (London, England) all buried three-pointers during the early rush.
Assumption settled down and trimmed the lead to four points (20-16) with a 12-4 run over the next five minutes. Golan sparked the run with four points, while freshman Matt Comparato capped it with a three-pointer.
After the Greyhounds forced their only deadlock of the game (31-31) with 1:39 left before intermission, Franklin Pierce took a three-point edge (34-31) into the locker room after a Zvonko Ilic (Nis, Yugoslavia) jumper and a free throw from Josh Steinberger (Walden, N.Y./Valley Central).
The Ravens stormed out again, opening the second half with a 16-7 run over the first 5:19 to take a 50-38 lead. Rodgerson (five points) and Hunt (seven) were the catalysts behind the outburst for Franklin Pierce.
Trailing by ten (54-44) with 11:31 left in regulation, Assumption made one last run at the Ravens, closing to within a point (61-60) with 5:30 to play after a 16-78 charge of its own. Golan sparked the rally with five points and an assist, while Lambert chipped in six points.
Rodgerson buried a three-ball after a Ravens timeout to bump the lead back to two possessions. Assumption sophomore Jared Linnell hit a driving layup to pull the Greyhounds within two (64-62) on their next possession, but free-throws from Rodgerson and Steinberger put the Franklin Pierce lead back up to six (68-62) with 2:18 left.
Assumption got back to within three points after a Robinson lay-in, but Rodgerson converted a conventional three-point play and the Ravens iced the victory by canning nine of its next 11 free-throw attempts.
Franklin Pierce (13-13, 11-10 NE-10) rounds out the regular season on Saturday when it hosts American International at 3:30 p.m. Assumption (17-8, 12-8 NE-10) visits Southern New Hampshire University on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.