Franklin Pierce Sinks Merrimack, 60-59
Rodgerson three with five-seconds to play lifts Ravens to victory
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. (February 10, 2004) - Senior guard Derek Rodgerson (Newburgh, Maine/Hampden Academy) buried a three-pointer from the top of the key with five-seconds left in regulation to lift Franklin Pierce to a 60-59 victory over Merrimack College in Northeast-10 Conference men's basketball action at the S. Peter Volpe Center tonight.
Merrimack College led nearly the entire way, but a conventional three-point play from Rodgerson gave Franklin Pierce its first lead (51-50) with 7:37 to play. The lead changed hands five more times (including the end) and was tied twice as the Ravens never led by more than a point, while the Warriors held a pair of ten point leads and were up by five (59-54) after a three-pointer from sophomore Bobby Murgo (Watertown, Mass./Watertown) with 1:50 to play.
Rodgerson led all scorers with 21 points, aided by a six-of-nine effort from three-point range, to go with seven rebounds, two assists and three steals. He kept the Ravens, which trailed by eight (33-25) at the break, in the game by hitting 5-7 from long-distance for 15 first-half points.
Senior preseason All-American Jimmie Hunt (Utica, N.Y./Mount Ararat (Maine)) added 13 points (nine second half), a game-high matching eight rebounds and three assists. Classmate Kent Willingham (Queens, N.Y./McNair Academy) also pulled down a career-best eight boards, while freshman Darryl Minifield (Brookline, Mass./Brookline) dished a season-best seven assists. Freshman Sean Mayo (Saco, Maine/Thornton Academy) chipped in a season-high eight points to go with four rebounds and a block.
Senior Korran Rivers (Quebec City, Quebec/Ancienne-Lorette) led Merrimack with 14 points and eight rebounds (four offensive). Classmate Craig Griffin (Jaffrey, N.H./Conant) was held in check with 12 points and three rebounds, while freshman Kenny Jones (Norwich, Conn./Norwich Free Academy) chipped in ten points, five rebounds and two assists.
Franklin Pierce limited the Warriors top two scorers, Griffin and classmate Justin Leith (Mercerville, N.J./Princeton Day) in check with a combined 20 points and ten rebounds. The duo entered the contest averaging 31.9 points and 17.3 boards per outing.
Neither team shot particularly well on the evening as Franklin Pierce hit 36.5-percent (23-65) of its shots for the contest, but hit 40% (8-20) from three-point range, compared to Merrimack's 37.3% (22-59) from the field and 18.2% (4-22) from long-distance. The Ravens held the Warriors to 33.3% (9-27) shooting in the second half.
Trailing by eight (47-39) midway through the second half, Franklin Pierce used a 9-1 run to force the first of four ties down the stretch. Minifield sparked the rally with a three-pointer and sophomore Justin Powell (Brookline, Mass./Brookline) scored a pair of baskets. Minifield played a role in all the Ravens points as he also dished three assists during the spurt.
After a pair of free throws from Leith, Rodgerson converted a conventional three-point play at the other end for the Ravens first lead of the night. The lead see-sawed over the next four minutes, before Griffin hit a lay-up and Murgo buried his three-pointer to put the hosts back up by five (59-54) with 1:50 to play.
Franklin Pierce held Merrimack scoreless from there and Hunt drained his lone three-pointer of the night after collecting a rebound off his own miss with 1:29 to play to draw the Ravens within a basket.
Griffin missed at the other end and then committed a turnover with 30-seconds to play to set up Rodgerson's game-winning basket. Merrimack had the last possession, but Griffin turned the ball over again with 2.1-seconds to play to seal the Ravens win.
Franklin Pierce (11-11, 8-10 NE-10) and Merrimack (14-8, 9-8 NE-10) wrap up the rescheduled home-and-home series on Thursday night at the Franklin Pierce Fieldhouse at 7:30 p.m.