Men's Basketball Battles Hard But Comes Up Just Short in Tough Loss to AIC
Four Ravens score in double-figures, including Jeff Manchester's team-high 12 points
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (January 23, 2010) - The
Franklin Pierce University men's basketball team dropped a tough
73-66 decision to American International College on Saturday
afternoon in Springfield, Mass. The Ravens dropped their
second-straight contest in falling to 8-10 overall and 3-10 in the
Northeast-10. AIC improved to 8-10 and 6-7 in league play.
Junior guard Jeff Manchester (Gorham, Maine) was one of four Ravens to score in double-figures as he tossed in a team-high 12 points (all in the first half). Kinard Dozier (Dedham, Mass.), Eric Jean-Guillaume (Stamford, Conn.) and John Hegarty (New Bedford, Mass.) each chipped in 11 points to aid in the Ravens offensive attack. Dozier and Hegarty each just missed a double-double as they pulled down nine rebounds apiece.
Isiah Wallace, Mike Troll and Aikeem Vanderhorst each pumped in a game-high 17 points to lead American International in the win.
Terrell Ray (Brooklyn, N.Y.) scored five of Franklin Pierce's first eight points as the Ravens opened the game on an 8-4 run four minutes into the contest.
The first half remained a close affair, but the Ravens were able to open up a 21-14 advantage with 8:23 left in the period following a three-point play from Hegarty as he hit a jumper in the paint and then made a foul shot.
Hegarty hit a jumper minutes later and Franklin Pierce held a 31-23 lead. Manchester, who had 12 points in the half on 4-of-6 shooting from the arc, knocked down a triple to stake the Ravens to a 34-26 lead. They held a 34-29 lead going into the locker room at halftime.
Franklin Pierce forced AIC into 10 turnovers in the first 20 minutes and held an 11-2 advantage in points off turnovers. The Ravens, who outrebounded the Yellow Jackets 24-17, also had a 7-2 edge in second-chance points.
Hegarty opened the second half with a layup to extend the Ravens lead to 36-29. However, AIC stormed back and scored 11-straight points to grab a 40-36 advantage with 16 minutes left in the contest. Vanderhorst drained a jumper to spark the surge and Wallace added to it with six points.
Jean-Guillaume stemmed the tide with a three, but it was short-lived as AIC answered with a 10-3 rally to go up 50-42 with 11:09 left. Byron Richards knocked down a triple and Troll hit a jumper to cap the run.
AIC had a 55-48 lead minutes later, but the Ravens were able to convert a four-point possession to pull within three. Adedamola Abu (Mattapan, Mass.) made the first of two free throws, but was off on the second. He was able to grab the loose ball, kick it out to Curtis Christian (Harlem, N.Y.), who drilled a three to make it 55-52 with 9:37 to go.
Adrian Hynes-Guery followed with a basket to make it 57-52 AIC, but Franklin Pierce wouldn't fold and stuck close. Christian drained another three and Dozier added a free throw to pull the Ravens within one at 57-56.
AIC then answered, this time scoring eight of the next 10 points to build a 65-58 lead with 4:42 left. Vanderhorst had three points during the run. That run was the decisive instance in the game that put AIC ahead for good.
Franklin Pierce returns to action Tuesday night when it plays host to Adelphi at 7:30 p.m. in The Fieldhouse in Rindge. Fans who cannot attend the game can follow it online via audio and/or live stats through the team's page at athletics.franklinpierce.edu(.)