Burtnyk nets a career-high 32 points to lead the Warriors

RINDGE, N.H. (February 16, 2008) – Merrimack College, ranked ninth in this week’s NCAA Division II Northeast Regional poll, hit four free throws in the final 16 seconds to hold off Franklin Pierce University, 85-78, in Northeast-10 Conference men’s basketball action at the Fieldhouse this afternoon.

Franklin Pierce’s postseason hopes are still alive as the Ravens remain three games behind both the University of Massachusetts Lowell and American International College, who both lost today, but with just three games to play. The Ravens hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over UMass Lowell and they round out the season with their lone meeting with AIC on February 26 in Springfield, Mass.

Senior Micky Burtnyk (Phoenix, Ariz./Desert Vista) led the charge for the Warriors, pouring in a career-high 32 points ­– including 26 in the second half – on 10-of-13 shooting, including a 7-of-9 mark from beyond the arc. He added four assists, three rebounds and a steal in the win. Sophomore Darren Duncan (Briarwood, N.Y./Christ the King) posted a double-double with 13 points (with 8-of-8 shooting from the free throw line) and a game-high ten assists, while freshman Darin Mency (Hagerstown, Md./St. John’s Catholic Prep) added 13 points and a game-high 11 rebounds for the Warriors.

Junior Timothy Munch (Blauvelt, N.Y./Storm King Prep) paced Franklin Pierce with a season-high 27 points on 9-of-24 shooting and a 6-for-6 mark from the free-throw line. He has now moved within 23 points of becoming the 27th player in program history to reach the 1,000-point plateau.

Junior Rimas Varanauskas (Kaunas, Lithuania/The Winchendon (Mass.) School) matched his career-high with 18 points, including the team’s first seven points of the game, while hauling in eight rebounds and dishing out four assists. Sophomore Terrell Ray (Brooklyn, N.Y./Fort Hamilton) added 17 points, seven rebounds and two assists for the Ravens.

Merrimack scored the first eight points of the second half to gain a ten-point lead with 3:15 gone in the period. Burtnyk then kept the Warriors afloat by scoring 13 of the team’s 15 points during a 5:05 span midway through the second half, hitting all three three-pointers and the pair of layups that he took.

Burtnyk’s last three gave Merrimack its largest lead of the night (13 points) 14:01 into the period but four points from Ray and a pair of free-throws by Varanauskas brought the Ravens to within seven with 3:49 to play. Merrimack’s last field goal of the game came soon after on a layup by Duncan with 3:17 remaining, but the Warriors hit nine of their 10 free-throw attempts down the stretch to pad the lead.

Freshman Kinard Dozier (Dedham, Mass./The Winchendon School) still managed to bring the Ravens to within one possession with 18 seconds left after draining a three-pointer, but Burtnyk and Duncan each sunk a pair of free throws in the waning seconds to ice the game.

Franklin Pierce jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead behind Varanauskas, who made a pair of layups and added three free throws, and the Ravens’ lead grew to eight (11-3) 3:02 in after a layup by Munch. In fact Varanauskas played a role in the Ravens first 14 points of the contest with ten points and two assists in the first five minutes.

The home team maintained an advantage for a majority of the first half, until a three-point play from Chiedozie Offiah (London, England/Gunnersbury Catholic) gave the Warriors a one-point lead with 1:28 remaining in the first half. The teams alternated buckets for the remainder of the period, and Merrimack went into the break with a slim 44-42 edge.

Franklin Pierce (8-16, 4-15 NE-10) takes to the road on Tuesday night when the Ravens face off with NE-10 opponent Saint Michael’s College at 7:30 p.m. Merrimack (15-10, 10-10 NE-10) visits Stonehill College next Saturday at 3:30 p.m.