Munch’s season-best 23 points not enough to lead Ravens past Golden Knights

RINDGE, N.H. (December 8, 2007) – The College of Saint Rose held off pesky Franklin Pierce University down the stretch to claim a 72-64 victory in Northeast-10 Conference men’s basketball action at the Fieldhouse this afternoon.

Senior Steve Dagostino (Schenectady, N.Y./Guilderland) led a balanced Saint Rose offense with 18 points, aided by 8-of-11 shooting at the free-throw line, to go with eight rebounds, five steals and four assists. Classmate Shanty Robinson (Mount Vernon, N.Y./Mount Vernon) notched a double-double with 14 points, a game-best 11 rebounds (six offensive), six assists and two steals, while senior Will Monica (Great Falls, Va./Langley) collected 14 points.

Franklin Pierce got a season-best 23 points from senior Timothy Munch (Blauvelt, N.Y./Storm King Prep), on 9-of-18 shooting from the field, including 5-11 three’s, to go with five rebounds. Freshman Jeff Manchester (Gorham, Maine/Gorham) added 11 points, hitting 3-of-6 three’s, four rebounds, two blocked shots and two steals off the bench. Sophomore Mike Barrow (Mattapan, Mass./Hebron Academy) chipped in seven points, eight rebounds and two blocks.

Saint Rose took advantage of 22 Franklin Pierce turnovers, posting a 26-13 advantage in points off miscues. Saint Rose shot 37.7-percent (23-of-61) from the field, including 13-for-32 (40.6%) in the first half, while the Ravens shot just 31.7% (20-63) on the afternoon, including 8-for-30 (26.7%) in the opening half.

Saint Rose led by as much as 13 (32-19) after a Dagostino steal and lay-up with 4:14 to play in the first half. Franklin Pierce closed the half with five-straight points, sparked by a three-pointer from freshman Steve Ramos (Lynn, Mass./Hebron Academy), to trim its deficit to eight points (38-30) at the break. The Ravens drew within five when Munch opened the second half with a three, and after a lay-up from Robinson, Munch drained another three-ball to close the lead to four (40-36) with 17:11 to play.

A 12-2 Saint Rose run, aided by a pair of Franklin Pierce technical fouls for dissent, put the visitors up by 15 (57-42) after a Monica three-pointer with 13:08 to go. The Ravens again refused to go away, using a 15-4 run to draw within four (61-57) after a Manchester three with 8:53 left on the clock. The three was the third of the run for Manchester, while Munch also hit from long distance during that stretch.

Saint Rose was able to regain a nine-point lead (68-59) after a Monica lay-up off a Dagostino steal with 5:51 to play. Franklin Pierce closed the gap to five (69-64) after a lay-up from junior Craig Shepherd (Grantham, N.H./Trinity) with 35-seconds left, but that would be as close as the Ravens would get. Saint Rose hit 3-of-4 free-throws the rest of the way and Franklin Pierce missed a three-pointer and turned the ball over twice in its last three possessions.

Franklin Pierce (3-5, 1-5 NE-10) returns to action on Wednesday when it visits in-state rivals Southern New Hampshire University at 7:30 p.m. The Ravens are not home again until the New Year, when it hosts preseason NE-10 favorites Bentley College on January 8 at 7:30 p.m. Saint Rose (6-2, 5-1 NE-10) hosts Saint Michael’s College in a key NE-10 clash on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.