11th-seeded Ravens set to battle 6th-seeded Dolphins in NE-10 Tournament first round on Saturday in Syracuse, N.Y., at 2 p.m.

RINDGE, N.H. (February 26, 2009) - Franklin Pierce University returns to postseason play after a one-year absence when it travels to Le Moyne College for first round action of the 2009 Northeast-10 Conference men's basketball championships on Saturday in Syracuse, N.Y., at 2 p.m.

Admission to the game is $6 for adults, and $3 for students and senior citizens. The game will be broadcast locally in Syracuse on ESPN Radio AM 1260 WNSS, with the broadcast simulcast via the internet at www.lemoynedolphins.com and athletics.franklinpierce.edu. Le Moyne is also providing a video webcast via its athletics website, which is also linked through to the Franklin Pierce athletics website.

11^th-seeded Franklin Pierce (11-16, 8-14 NE-10) is making its 32^nd postseason appearance in the last 33 seasons with the lone exception coming last winter when the Ravens narrowly missed out on an NE-10 Tournament spot. The Ravens clinched the 11-seed with a 55-48 triumph over American International College in their final regular season contest last Saturday. Sixth-seeded Le Moyne (17-10, 13-9 NE-10) enters postseason play as arguably one of the hottest teams in the Conference, having won eight-straight and ten of 11 after Tuesday's 75-71 triumph at Southern Connecticut State University in its regular season finale. 

The winner of Saturday's first round battle advances to Monday's NE-10 quarterfinal round to face third-seeded Stonehill College (21-6, 16-6 NE-10) in Easton, Mass., at 7 p.m. The championships continue with semifinal round action on Thursday, March 5, (7 p.m.), with the NE-10 tournament champion and automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Tournament to be awarded on Saturday, March 7, at 1 p.m. All games are played at the higher seed.

Franklin Pierce won just twice over its final 11 games after Saturday's victory over AIC. The tough stretch featured a schedule that included ten NE-10 Tournament teams, six of which are regionally ranked this week, ten with winning records and opposition which is a combined 203-98 (.674), playing NE-10 regular season champions Bentley University (24-5, 18-4 NE-10) twice during over that span. The Ravens are ranked ninth in the NE-10 in scoring defense (68.9 ppg) and 12^th in scoring offense (64.4 ppg). They are fifth in three-point field goals per game (7.0) and sixth in rebound margin (+2.9 rpg) and blocked shots (5.5 bpg).

Sophomore guard Kinard Dozier (Dedham, Mass./The Winchendon School) shares the team lead with 12.9 points per game so far this season, adding 6.2 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.9 steals per contest (6^th NE-10). He is also shooting a team-best 72-percent (85-for-118) from the free-throw line. Senior forward Rimas Varanauskas (Kaunas, Lithuania/The Winchendon School) also averages 12.9 points to go with a team-best 7.3 rebounds (10^th) and a block (10^th) per game. 

Sophomore guard Jeff Manchester (Gorham, Maine/Gorham) rounds out the Ravens double-figure scorers with 11.7 points per game, shooting a team-best 42.1-percent (72-for-171) from three-point range (4^th NE-10), hitting 2.9 three's per game (2^nd). Junior Terrell Ray (Brooklyn, N.Y./Fort Hamilton) has started the eight games for the Ravens and chips in 7.9 points, shooting 54.2-percent (78-144) from the floor (3^rd), including 11.0 points per game (2^nd on the team) so far in the month of February - scoring a season-high 20 points in Saturday's win over AIC.

Le Moyne, ranked tenth in this week's NCAA Division II East Regional rankings, looks to make a deep run in the NE-10 Tournament to solidify a possible NCAA Tournament bid. The Dolphins are ranked fifth in the NE-10 in scoring (71.8 ppg) and are seventh in scoring defense (67.5 ppg). They lead the Conference in field goal percentage (.481) and rebound margin (+5.3), are second in blocked shots (4.1/gm) and assists (15.6/gm), third in defensive rebounds (26.5/gm) and are fourth in field goal percentage defense (.409).

Le Moyne is led by NE-10 Player of the Year candidate Laurence Ekperigin (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Walter Panas) who leads the NE-10 in rebounding (11.6/gm) and field goal percentage (.684) while ranking second in scoring (18.8 ppg) and blocked shots (2.5/gm), also contributing 2.0 assists per contest. Freshman Christopher Johnson (Lindenhurst, N.Y./Lindenhurst) is adding 14.6 points (10^th NE-10) off the bench, shooting 39.7-percent (94-for-237) from three-point range in his first collegiate season. Sophomore Kevin Roth (Lake View, N.Y./St. Francis) chips in 9.9 points, shooting 52.3-percent (113-216) from the field (8^th), 6.6 rebounds (12^th) and 1.9 assists per contest.

Saturday will mark the 28^th meeting all-time between these two programs, dating back to the two programs days in the old New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) in the early 90's. It will mark the third time the two have met in postseason play, but the first in the NE-10 Tournament. Franklin Pierce holds a 17-11 advantage in the all-time series, winning each of the two previous postseason encounters. The Ravens edged Le Moyne, 75-73, in the semifinals of the 1993 NECC Tournament and rolled to an 83-53 triumph in the opening round of the 1996 NCAA Tournament in their only previous postseason match ups. The Dolphins are 7-5 all-time at Ted Grant Court against Franklin Pierce.

Franklin Pierce claimed a 72-67 victory in the lone regular season meeting between the two clubs in Rindge back on December 3. Varanauskas led the Ravens with 20 points, seven rebounds (four offensive) and three steals, while Dozier added 13 points, seven rebounds and two steals. Ray chipped in with 13 points in 16 minutes off the bench.

Sophomore forward Mike Barrow (Mattapan, Mass./Hebron Academy) perhaps turned in the performance of the night, limiting Ekperigin to six points on just five shots from the field. The Le Moyne frontcourt player did contribute nine rebounds, five assists, three blocks and two steals. Junior Kevin Hassett (Phoenix, Ariz./Desert Mountain) led the Dolphins with a game-high 21 points, on 10-of-12 shooting from the field, to go with 12 rebounds. Classmate Damani Corbin (Brooklyn, N.Y./Frederick Douglass) added 14 points and eight assists. 

2009 Northeast-10 Conference Men's Basketball Championship 

Saturday, February 28
First Round (Campus sites)
Game 1: #12 Pace (9-18, 7-15 NE-10) at #5 Assumption (18-9, 15-7 NE-10), 2 p.m.
Game 2: #11 Franklin Pierce (11-16, 8-14 NE-10) at #6 Le Moyne (17-10, 13-9 NE-10), 2 p.m.
Game 3: #10 Saint Rose (11-16, 9-13 NE-10) at #7 Southern N.H. (16-11, 12-10 NE-10), 2 p.m.
Game 4: #9 Saint Anselm (15-12, 10-12 NE-10) at #8 American Int'l (15-12, 11-11 NE-10), 2 p.m. 

Monday, March 2
Quarterfinal Round (Campus Sites)
Game 5: Game 1 winner at #4 Merrimack (20-7, 16-6 NE-10), 7 p.m.
Game 6: Game 2 winner at #3 Stonehill (21-6, 16-6 NE-10), 7 p.m.
Game 7: Game 3 winner at #2 UMass Lowell (21-6, 16-6 NE-10), 7 p.m.
Game 8: Game 4 winner at #1 Bentley (24-5, 18-4 NE-10), 7 p.m. 

Thursday, March 5
Semifinal Round (at higher seeds)
Game 9: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, 7 p.m.
Game 10: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 7 p.m. 

Saturday, March 7
Championship (at higher seed)
Semifinal winners, 1 p.m.