2004 NORTHEAST-10 TOURNAMENT #7 Saint Rose Out-Guns #10 Franklin Pierce, 92-79
Golden Knights hit 59.3-percent from the field, King nets career-best 24 points
ALBANY, N.Y. (February 28, 2004) - Seventh-seeded College of Saint Rose used a 59.3-percent (35-59) shooting effort from the field to dispatch tenth-seeded Franklin Pierce in first round action of the 2004 Northeast-10 Conference men's basketball tournament at Sage College of Albany this afternoon.
Saint Rose (19-9) advances to Monday's quarterfinal round where it will visit second-seeded Southern New Hampshire University (20-7) at 7 p.m. Franklin Pierce sees its season come to a close with a record of 14-14 overall.
Sophomores Brad Shove (Pittsfield, Mass./Pittsfield) and Terrance King (Hempstead, N.Y./Hempstead) combined for 49 points on the afternoon to lead the Golden Knights. Shove hit seven-of-13 shots from the field, including 3-6 from three-point range, and canned all eight free-throw attempts for 25 points (19 second half) to go with a team-high eight rebounds, four assists and two steals. King netted a career-best 24 points on 11-17 shooting from the field (2-2 three's) and also added five assists and four rebounds.
Junior Terry George (Buffalo, N.Y./Buffalo Traditional) hit 6-9 from the field and finished with 16 points and four boards in 22 minutes off the Saint Rose bench. Classmate Adonist Barber (Schenectady, N.Y./Schenectady) chipped in 14 points, aided by 5-5 shooting from the field, and eight rebounds.
Senior preseason All-American Jimmie Hunt (Utica, N.Y./Mount Ararat (Maine)) led Franklin Pierce with a game-high 27 points (17 second half) in his final collegiate game as he hit 8-17 from the field, including 5-10 from long-distance, and all six free-throw attempts. He also grabbed a game-high nine rebounds and dished four assists.
Freshman Nazim Senaldi (Istanbul, Turkey) netted a season-best 14 points, aided by 4-5 shooting from beyond the arc, and added six rebounds and two assists. Classmate Marques Norris (Jamaica Plain, Mass./Benson (Ore.)) registered 13 points and two blocks. Senior Derek Rodgerson (Newburgh, Maine/Hampden Academy) was limited to nine points to go with six boards, three assists and two steals.
Saint Rose hit 65.4% (17-26) of its from the field in the second half after a 54.5% (18-33) effort over the opening 20 minutes to take a 47-31 advantage into the locker
room. The Golden Knights also canned 53.8% (7-13) of their three-point attempts, including 4-5 (80%) in the second half. Franklin Pierce finished shooting just 39.1% (27-69) from the field, including 40% (14-35) from three-point range, after a 32.4% (11-34) first half.
Saint Rose extended its 16-point halftime lead to 20 points (77-57) with 8:44 to play after a pair of Shove free throws. Franklin Pierce made one last run, scoring 15-straight points off three-pointers during a 21-6 rally to close within seven points (83-76) with 2:26 to play. Norris canned three trifectas during the run, while Hunt netted a pair.
Saint Rose responded by scoring the next four points to bump its lead back to 11 (87-76) with 1:30 to play. Hunt canned two free-throws with 45-seconds on the clock to get the Ravens back within nine, but the rally stalled there as Hunt and Norris missed three's down the stretch and Saint Rose added a pair of free-throws and a lay-up to ice the win.