Ravens open home-and-home against Skyhawks with key road victory

Boxscore 

EASTON, Mass. (January 31, 2009) - Franklin Pierce matched a season-low with nine turnovers and held off Stonehill College, ranked No. 10 in this week's NABC Division II poll, to post a 60-59 upset in Northeast-10 Conference men's basketball action at Merkert Gymnasium this afternoon.

Sophomore guards Kinard Dozier (Dedham, Mass./The Winchendon School) and Jeff Manchester (Gorham, Maine/Gorham) each led Franklin Pierce with 15 points apiece in the victory. Dozier, who clinched the win with two free-throws with seven seconds to play, made 5-of-13 shots from the field, including 1-of-3 from three-point range, and converted all four free-throw attempts for his 15 points to go with five rebounds, three assists and three steals. Manchester buried 5-of-8 three-pointers for his 15 points, adding three assists.

Senior Rimas Varanauskas (Kaunas, Lithuania/The Winchendon School) added 13 points off the bench, shooting 5-for-7 from the field, including 1-for-2 three's, and converting 2-of-4 free-throw attempts to go with five rebounds. Junior Terrell Ray (Brooklyn, N.Y./Fort Hamilton) chipped in eight points and four rebounds. 

Junior Randall Stallworth (Toms River, N.J./Monsignor Donovan) led Stonehill with a game-high 28 points on 10-of-15 shooting from the field, including 6-for-10 from beyond the arc, to go with four rebounds and four assists. Classmate A.J. Rudowitz (Monroe Township, N.J./Monroe Township) added 13 points, including the 1,000^th of his career, a game-high eight rebounds (four offensive), four steals and three blocked shots. Senior Matt Hall (Springfield, Mass./Springfield Central) posted eight points, while classmate Colin Scanlon (Centreville, Va./Flint Hill) chipped in eight rebounds and five assists.

Franklin Pierce finished shooting 40-percent (22-for-55) from the field, including 9-for-21 (42.9%) from three-point range (4-9, 44.4% - 2^nd). Stonehill made 44-percent (22-for-50) of its shots from the field, after hitting at 50% (11-for-22) in the first half, and converted 8-of-18 (44.4%) three-point attempts. The Ravens posted a commanding 20-7 advantage in points off turnovers, committing a season-low matching nine miscues, compared to 15 turnovers for the Skyhawks.

Franklin Pierce rallied from a six-point deficit (52-46) after a Rudowitz layup with 6:09 to play. Manchester sparked a 10-0 spurt with a three-pointer before Varanauskas scored a layup and Dozier put the Ravens on top for good (53-52) with a pair of free-throws with 3:48 to go. Manchester buried another three to cap the run and put the Ravens up four (56-52) with 2:53 remaining.

Stallworth pulled Stonehill back within a possession (56-52) with 2:38 left, and both teams missed on their next possessions. Ray pulled down a key offensive rebound and converted the put back to regain Franklin Pierce's four-point cushion (58-54) with 56-seconds remaining. Rudowitz made two free-throws at the other end to pull the Skyhawks back within two (58-56) with 47-seconds left, but Dozier grabbed another offensive rebound for the Ravens after Manchester missed on a corner jumper. Dozier was fouled and drained both free-throws with seven ticks left to ice the victory. Stallworth capped the game with his sixth three of the night, but it was too little too late and the Ravens claimed the upset win and snapped a three-game slide.

Franklin Pierce was in the game from the outset, and a bright start put the Ravens up 11 (22-11) after a Manchester three with 8:34 to go in the opening half. Stonehill rallied with a 14-3 run to force a 27-27 tie after a Rudowitz jumper with 2:30 left in the frame. Stallworth added a pair of three's during the stretch.

Franklin Pierce carried a two-point lead into halftime (31-29) after a Varanauskas layup and extended it back to five (34-29) when Manchester opened the second half with a three. An 11-0 Stonehill run over less than a four minute span turned a four-point deficit (38-34) into a seven-point advantage (45-38) after a Hall three with 11:38 to play. Stallworth canned back-to-back three's during that stretch.

Franklin Pierce (10-10, 7-8 NE-10) and Stonehill (16-4, 11-4 NE-10) meet again for the second half of their home-and-home matchup on Wednesday, February 4, at the Franklin Pierce Fieldhouse at 7:30 p.m. That game will be broadcast live on WEEI 93.5 Keene.