Stonehill Edges Franklin Pierce, 72-71
Stallworth's layup with 1.7-seconds left lifts Skyhawks past Ravens
EASTON, Mass. (January 20, 2007) - Freshman Randall Stallworth (Toms River, N.J./Monsignor Donovan) scored a lay-in with 1.7-seconds to play to lift Stonehill College to a 72-71 victory over Franklin Pierce in Northeast-10 Conference men's basketball action at Merkert Gymnasium this afternoon.
Stallworth's layup capped a wild finish to a contest in which Franklin Pierce trailed by as many as 13 points late in the first half, before leading by as many as seven in the second. Stonehill shot 52.1-percent (25-of-48) from the field and converted 14-of-16 (87.5%) free-throw attempts for the day. Franklin Pierce shot 47.6% (30-63) for the contest, but converted just 6-12 (50%) free throws. The Ravens turned a 34-28 rebounding advantage (16 offensive rebounds) into an 18-7 edge on second-chance points.
Freshman AJ Rudowitz (Monroe Township, N.J./Monroe Township) led Stonehill with 19 points, shooting 8-of-11 from the floor, while sophomore Nick Smith (Colonia, N.J./Colonia) registered 16 points and four rebounds. Stallworth finished with 13 points, three rebounds, six assists and two steals, while senior Lance Clarke (Cambridge, Mass./Cambridge Rindge & Latin) chipped in 12 points, five rebounds and three assists.
Senior Darryl Minnifield (Boston, Mass./Brookline) led all scorers for Franklin Pierce with 20 points to go with six rebounds (three offensive) and two assists. Freshman Chris Lewis (Parkland, Fla./Coral Springs Charter) came off the bench to net a season-high 16 points as he hit 7-of-10 shots from the field, to go with a season-best seven rebounds (three offensive). Senior Nazim Senaldi (Istanbul, Turkey) contributed 13 points and five rebounds, while senior Sean Mayo (Saco, Maine/Thornton Academy) chipped in 11 points and four boards.
Stonehill led by 13 (39-26) after a Smith three-pointer with 2:41 to play in the first half, but Franklin Pierce drew within four at the break (41-37) as Minnifield canned a three with a second to play. The Ravens wrapped a 15-2 run around halftime as Minnifield gave the Ravens the lead (45-43) 2:37 into the second half.
The lead seesawed until an 8-2 run put the Ravens up seven (66-59) on a Lewis layup with 6:34 to go. Smith converted a conventional three-point play to cap a 12-3 run that put Stonehill back in front (70-69) with 2:26 left.
Neither team scored until Minnifield drained two free throws with 25-seconds left to give Franklin Pierce the lead again (71-70), setting up Stallworth's winning basket. The Ravens had one last possession, but turned the ball over.
Franklin Pierce (9-9, 7-7 NE-10) opens a three-game home stand on Tuesday against Assumption College at 7:30 p.m. Stonehill (13-6, 8-6 NE-10) visits Southern Connecticut State University on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.