Kinard Dozier goes for team-high 20 points; John Hegarty notches second-straight double-figure scoring game with 16 points and nine rebounds

BOXSCORE

RINDGE, N.H. (January 16, 2010) – The Franklin Pierce University men’s basketball team earned its second-straight win on Saturday afternoon with a convincing 81-61 triumph over visiting Southern Connecticut State in The Fieldhouse in Rindge. The Ravens evened their overall record at 8-8 and raised their Northeast-10 Conference record to 3-8. SCSU dipped to 2-14 and 1-10 in league play. The win for Franklin Pierce also snapped a two-game losing streak in conference play.

Junior guard Kinard Dozier (Dedham, Mass.) scored 14 of his team-high 20 points in the second half to ignite a furious surge by the Ravens to pull off the come-from-behind victory. Dozier was a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line, grabbed six rebounds, handed out five assists and swiped a steal.

Sophomore center John Hegarty (New Bedford, Mass.) tallied his second-straight double-figure scoring game in a Ravens uniform as he pumped in a season-high 16 points. He just missed a double-double as he grabbed nine rebounds, while blocking three shots.

Junior guard Jeff Manchester (Gorham, Maine) was the Ravens other double-figure scorer with 11 points, while junior guard Mike Barrow (Mattapan, Mass.) just missed going for double-digits with nine points. Senior guard Marcus Wellman (Monroe, Conn.) and freshman backcourt-mate Eric Jean-Guillaume (Stamford, Conn.), the reigning NE-10 rookie of the week, went for eight points apiece.

SCSU’s freshman guard Tobin Carberry tossed in a game-high 29 points to pace the Owls attack. Dexton Williamson added 12 points, including a jumper near the end of the first half to give Southern Connecticut State at 32-30 lead going into the locker room at halftime. Williamson’s shot capped what had been a close and exciting first half.

What had been a tightly contested opening 20 minutes turned out to be a blowout in the second half.

The Ravens scored the initial six points of the second half on the way to a 19-2 run that put them on top 49-34 with 13:15 to play. That run would be the difference in Franklin Pierce pulling out the victory.

Jean-Guillaume, Hegarty and Dozier each made a basket to ignite the early surge, while Wellman capped it with three-straight free throws after being fouled in the act of a taking a three-point shot.

SCSU tried to fight back and got back within single-digits at 52-43 with 11:18 to play following a three-point play by Carberry.

Franklin Pierce didn’t flinch and went right back to the hot shooting. The Ravens scored the next 10 points, keyed by five points apiece from Manchester and Dozier, to open up a commanding 62-43 advantage with 9:43 left. Franklin Pierce continued to add to its lead and went on top by 25 at one point when Hegarty converted a pair of free throws to make it 75-50. SCSU would never get within 20 points after that as Franklin Pierce cruised on for the victory.

The Ravens shot 59 percent (16-of-27) from the floor in the second half, including a strong 50 percent (2-of-4) from behind the arc. Franklin Pierce, though, didn’t need to rely on the outside shooting as much as it owned a convincing 28-16 advantage in points in the paint. Hegarty had 10 of his season-high 16 points in the final period.

The Ravens didn’t just score in the second half, as they also held a 17-12 advantage on the glass and forced the Owls into 10 turnovers. Franklin Pierce did a much better job of taking care of the basketball as it turned the ball over just four times in the second half and 13 times overall.

The opening stages of the first half were no indication that Franklin Pierce would run away for a 20-point victory. Southern Connecticut State scored 10 of the game’s first 12 points and eventually built a 22-10 lead with 10:13 left in the period following a layup from Clyde Chapman.

However, the Ravens began to claw back and went on a 9-0 run which was sparked by a thunderous dunk from Hegarty. Manchester capped the rally with a three-ball and Franklin Pierce found itself within three at 22-19 with a little more than seven minutes left in the half.

Dozier laid in a basket minutes later and Wellman followed with a trey to put Franklin Pierce on top at 30-26. However, Carberry converted a layup and Williamson scored the final three points of the half to give the Owls the two-point advantage at intermission.

The win added to Franklin Pierce’s strong play since the beginning of the calendar year. Since returning from the holiday break, Franklin Pierce is 4-2, including winning three of five conference games.

The Ravens return to action on Wednesday night when they play host to Assumption at 7:30 p.m. in The Fieldhouse in Rindge. Fans who cannot attend the game can follow the contest online via live stats and/or audio through the team’s page at athletics.franklinpierce.edu(.)