Southern N.H. Downs Franklin Pierce, 70-56
Gonzalez leads Penmen, Ravens will hit the road in playoffs
MANCHESTER, N.H. (February 18, 2006) - Southern New Hampshire University handed Franklin Pierce its sixth-straight loss with a 70-56 victory in Northeast-10 Conference men's basketball action at SNHU Fieldhouse this afternoon.
While Southern New Hampshire pinned down home court advantage for the first round of the NE-10 Tournament next Saturday, the loss relegates the Ravens to the road for the first round, most likely at Merrimack College. Official pairings will be released following the conclusion of the regular season on Tuesday night.
Senior Miguel Gonzalez (Jamaica-Queens, N.Y./Holy Cross) led SNHU with a game-high 22 points to go with four rebounds and three assists. Classmate PJ Young (Boston, Mass./Manchester Central) added 15 points (7-9 shooting from the field), five rebounds, three assists and two steals, while sophomore Sam Carey (Manchester, N.H./Central) nearly notched a double-double with ten points, eight rebounds and two assists.
Junior Sean Mayo (Saco, Maine/Thornton Academy) notched Franklin Pierce's first double-double of the season with 14 points and ten rebounds (four offensive). Senior Pierre Sully (Jamaica Plains, Mass./North Cambridge Catholic) added 11 points and three boards, while sophomore Joseph Chatman (Boston, Mass./BC High) registered ten points, four assists and two steals.
SNHU used a 63.6-percent (14-of-22) shooting effort in the second half to expand on a three-point (30-27) halftime lead, while Franklin Pierce shot 47.4% (9-19) in the frame.
SNHU held a 49-45 lead midway through the second half when the Penmen got two free throws from sophomore P. Jay Bernard (Brockton, Mass./Loomis Chaffee) and a three-pointer by Gonzalez for a 54-45 lead with 9:31 left. Neither team scored for the next two minutes, before the Ravens got a jumper by Chatman.
The teams traded free throws, before another triple by Gonzalez with 5:37 left gave the hosts a 58-48 lead. The Ravens cut the lead to seven points, 60-53, following a conventional three-point play by Chatman with 2:41 to play, but the Penmen got back-to-back lay-ups by Young and John Baiano (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Peter's) for a 64-53 advantage with 1:01 left. SNHU maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the way.
Both teams struggled to score early in the game and SNHU held a 13-6 lead eight minutes into the game. The Ravens used nine unanswered points to take their first lead of the game, 15-13, following a lay-up by Sully with 7:08 left before halftime. The teams traded baskets the rest of the half and a three-pointer by Gonzalez just before the halftime horn gave the hosts a 30-27 lead.
Franklin Pierce (13-13, 10-11 NE-10) rounds out the regular season on Tuesday when it hosts UMass Lowell at 7:30 p.m. Southern New Hampshire (17-10, 13-9 NE-10) completed its regular season slate today and awaits a first round opponent.