Varanauskas leads Ravens to second-straight win with 20 points

Boxscore 

RINDGE, N.H. (December 3, 2008) - Franklin Pierce University posted its second-straight win with a hard-fought 72-67 decision over Le Moyne College in Northeast-10 Conference men's basketball action at the Fieldhouse tonight.

Senior forward Rimas Varanauskas (Kaunas, Lithuania/The Winchendon School) led Franklin Pierce with a 20 points (his third 20-point outing of the year), scoring ten each half, and seven rebounds. Sophomore Kinard Dozier (Dedham, Mass./The Winchendon School) added 13 points, seven rebounds and two steals, while junior Terrell Ray (Brooklyn, N.Y./Fort Hamilton) notched 13 points, two assists and two blocked shots in 16 minutes off the bench.

Junior Kevin Hassett (Phoenix, Ariz./Desert Mountain) led Le Moyne with a double-double effort of 21 points and 12 rebounds (five offensive) as he hit 10-of-12 shots from the field, including 1-for-3 from three-point range. Junior Damani Corbin (Brooklyn, N.Y./Frederick Douglas) added 14 points (ten first half), eight assists and three rebounds, while freshman Christopher Johnson (Lindenhurst, N.Y./Lindenhurst) chipped in 13 points off the bench.

Franklin Pierce sophomore power forward Mike Barrow (Mattapan, Mass./Hebron Academy) did yeoman's work for the Ravens defensively, limiting Le Moyne's Laurence Ekperigin (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Walter Panas) to six points (on five shots from the field) and nine rebounds in 37 minutes, when the junior standout entered the game averaging 16.4 points and 10.8 rebounds per game so far this season. Ekperigin did contribute five assists, three blocked shots and two steals.

Franklin Pierce enjoyed a 15-2 scoring advantage in the game from the free-throw line, converting 62.5-percent (15-of-24) of its free-throw attempts overall, compared to 2-of-4 (50%) shooting at the line for Le Moyne. The Dolphins lost despite 53.6-percent (30-56) shooting from the field, compared to 41.9% (26-62) for the Ravens. Franklin Pierce was on the short end of a 36-33 rebounding margin, yet outscored the visitors 21-11 on second-chance points and also posted a 20-6 advantage in points off turnovers, committing just ten miscues compared to 19 for Le Moyne.

After three ties and three lead changes over the opening seven minutes, Franklin Pierce used a 7-2 run to take a 19-14 lead on a three-point play from Ray midway through the opening stanza. Le Moyne immediately responded with a 7-2 run of its own and tied the game at 21-21 with 8:44 left on a jumper by Johnson. The game would be tied twice more in the half before the Ravens took a 39-37 lead into halftime as junior Fred Lyles (Landover, Md./Largo) converted a lay-up as time expired.

The game remained tight until Franklin Pierce used a quick 6-0 spurt to turn a five-point lead into an 11-point gap (67-56) as Dozier dunked off a turnover with 1:53 to play. The run was part of a larger, 11-4 push which helped Franklin Pierce put the game away. The Ravens would match the 11-point lead once more down the stretch and survive a late 9-2 run by Le Moyne and come away with the five-point victory.

Franklin Pierce (4-2, 1-1 NE-10) is back in action on Saturday when it battles in-state rivals Southern New Hampshire University at 3:30 p.m. The game, which will also be broadcast on WEEI 93.5 FM Keene, is being played at Keene State College's Spaulding Gymnasium. There will be no admission charge to the contest. Le Moyne (2-4, 2-3 NE-10) faces Pace University in New York City on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.