Saint Rose Slips Past Franklin Pierce, 65-59
29.6-percent shooting and 15 turnovers in second half hamper Ravens
RINDGE, N.H. (January 16, 2006) - The College of Saint Rose slipped past Franklin Pierce in the final five minutes to collect a 65-59 decision in Northeast-10 Conference men's basketball action at the Franklin Pierce Fieldhouse tonight.
Saint Rose limited Franklin Pierce to 29.6-percent shooting, including 0-of-8 from three-point range, and forced 15 turnovers in the second half to erase a five-point halftime lead. The Golden Knights shot just 41.8-percent (23-55) from the field for the night, but hit 6-of-8 (75%) from three-point range.
Sophomore Steve Dagostino (Guilderland, N.Y./Guilderland) led Saint Rose with a game-high 20 points (13 first half), hitting 6-of-7 shots from the field (4-4 from three-point range), to go with three rebounds. Senior Brad Shove (Pittsfield, Mass./Pittsfield) added 14 points, hitting 5-9 from the field (2-3 three's), a team-high seven rebounds, three assists and two steals. Junior Clayton Longmire (Rochester, N.Y./Gates-Chili) posted 15 points, six rebounds (four offensive) and three blocks.
Senior Justin Powell (Brookline, Mass./Brookline) finished with ten points, hitting 4-of-8 from the floor, and in the process became the 26th player in program history to reach the 1,000 career point plateau. His bucket 4:29 into the contest matched the mark and he finished the night with 1,006 points in his career. Powell also grabbed a game-high matching eight rebounds and added two steals.
Freshman Timothy Munch (Blauvelt, N.Y./Storm King Prep) led the Ravens with 14 points to go with six rebounds and three assists in 24 minutes off the bench. Junior Sean Mayo (Saco, Maine/Thornton Academy) added ten points, eight rebounds (four offensive), three blocks and two steals, while senior Pierre Sully (Jamaica Plain, Mass./North Cambridge) chipped in ten points, six boards, three assists, three blocks and four steals.
Franklin Pierce took a five-point lead (34-29) into the locker room, closing out the stanza with back-to-back Munch three-pointers over the last 1:14. Saint Rose opened the second half with an 8-2 run, sparked by two Michael Epperson (Bronx, N.Y./Monsignor Scanlan) baskets, to take a one-point lead (37-36) 4:16 into the half.
The Ravens regained the lead and were up three (44-41) after a Jack Barrett (Reading, Mass./Andover) lay-up with 10:08 to play. The Ravens lead was four points (50-46) after a pair of Mayo free throws with 5:53 to go.
However, Saint Rose posted a 12-2 run, sparked by a go-ahead three-pointer from Dagostino with 4:15 to play, to open a six-point lead (58-52) after a Longmire jumper with 1:01 to go - matching the Golden Knights largest advantage of the night.
Barrett converted a conventional three-point play to get the Ravens back within a possession (58-55) with 32-seconds on the clock, but the Golden Knights converted 6-of-7 free throws down the stretch to ice it.
Franklin Pierce (8-7, 5-5 NE-10) hits the road on Thursday to face Pace University at 7:30 p.m. The Ravens return home on Saturday to host Le Moyne College at 3:30 p.m. Saint Rose (13-4, 9-3 NE-10) hosts Southern New Hampshire University on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.