UMass Lowell Edges Franklin Pierce, 69-66
Late turnovers prove costly for Ravens in seventh-straight defeat
RINDGE, N.H. (February 21, 2006) - The University of Massachusetts Lowell handed Franklin Pierce its seventh straight loss with a 69-66 decision in Northeast-10 Conference men's basketball action at the Franklin Pierce Fieldhouse tonight.
Franklin Pierce (13-14, 10-12 NE-10) remained in ninth place despite the loss and will visit eighth-seeded Merrimack College (14-14, 12-10 NE-10) in first round action of the NE-10 Tournament on Saturday at 1 p.m. UMass Lowell (19-8, 15-7 NE-10) sewed up the third seed and first round bye with the win. The River Hawks will await the winner of Saturday's first round battle between sixth-seeded Bryant University and 11th-seeded American International College on Monday at 7 p.m.
Seniors Stacey Moragne (Evanston, Ill./Evanston) and Brandon Arnette (Lake Park, Fla./Tilton School) combined for 41 points to lead UMass Lowell. Moragne led all River Hawks with 21 points, including the game-winning free throw with 1.9-seconds remaining in the contest, to go with eight rebounds and four assists. Arnette netted 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field, including 4-of-6 from three-point range.
Senior Carl Benn (Far Rockaway, N.Y./Lawrence Woodmere Academy) pitched in 14 points, four rebounds and two assists, while sophomore Adon El (Philadelphia, Pa./St. John Neumann) grabbed a game-high ten rebounds (six offensive) and blocked five shots.
Senior Pierre Sully (Jamaica Plains, Mass./North Cambridge) led four Franklin Pierce players in double-figures with a team-high 21 points and eight rebounds to go with two steals. Freshman Jack Barrett (Reading, Mass./Andover) netted a season-high 13 points, aided by 7-of-8 shooting at the foul line, five assists and two steals. Classmate Timothy Munch (Blauvelt, N.Y./Storm King Prep) totaled 12 points and three steals, while senior Justin Powell (Brookline, Mass./Brookline) chipped in 11 points, six boards and two steals.
UMass Lowell out-shot Franklin Pierce, 43.1-percent (25-of-58) to 37% (20-of-54), while also out-rebounding the Ravens 37-32. Franklin Pierce turned the ball over just 12 times (twice in the last three seconds), compared to 16 for UML, but enjoyed just a 15-14 advantage in points off turnovers. The Ravens were also just 5-of-19 (26.3%) from three-point range, but canned 21-of-22 (95.5%) from the free-throw line.
With the exception of two ties, Franklin Pierce trailed the entire first half as UMass Lowell held a four-point lead (31-27) at the break. The River Hawks extended their lead to six (33-27) after a Moragne lay-up 1:15 into the second, but the Ravens rallied with a five-straight points on a Sean Mayo (Saco, Maine/Thornton Academy) three and Barrett lay-up to close within a point (33-32) just over a minute later.
Franklin Pierce took its first lead of the game (39-37) with a Sully three with 15:36 on the clock. UMass Lowell regained a five-point edge (54-49) after a Moragne three-pointer with 7:55 to play. A 6-0 Ravens spurt put them up a point (55-54) after a pair of Barrett free-throws with 5:05 left, but Benn converted a conventional three-point play to spark a personal 5-0 run as the River Hawks answered again. A Sully three-pointer gave the Ravens the lead again (60-59) with 3:09 left and the teams combined for three ties and three lead changes before El hit a put back to give UML a one-point lead (66-65) with 1:05 to play. Barrett went to the line for two shots, but missed his first attempt, forcing the Ravens to settle for a tie (66-66) with 37-seconds to play.
The game appeared destined for overtime as the Ravens had the ball after Benn missed a jumper with three-seconds to play. After a timeout, Franklin Pierce was whistled for moving with the ball on the end line, handing UMass Lowell the ball with three-seconds still on the clock. Moragne was fouled after getting the inbounds pass, and hit one of two as the River Hawks regained the lead. Franklin Pierce turned the ball over on a long pass down court and Benn iced the victory with two free throws with 1.2 seconds to play.