Men's Basketball Falls on Road at Le Moyne 78-59
Three Ravens score in double-figures, including Kinard Dozier's team-high 13 points
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (January 30, 2010) -- The Franklin
Pierce University men's basketball team dropped a 78-59 decision on
the road at Le Moyne on Saturday in the Ted Grant Court in
Syracuse, N.Y. The Ravens dipped to 9-11 overall and 4-11 in the
Northeast-10, while the Dolphins improved to 12-8 and 8-7 in league
play.
Three Ravens scored in double-figures, including junior guard Kinard Dozier (Dedham, Mass.), who had 13 points and six rebounds. Sophomore forward Adedamola Abu (Mattapan, Mass.) just missed recording a double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds, while freshman guard Eric Jean-Guillaume (Stamford, Conn.) chipped in 10 points.
Laurence Ekperigin led four Dolphins who scored in double-figures with 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the floor. Damani Corbin followed with 16 points, while Christopher Johnson added 13 points. Kevin Roth rounded out Le Moyne's double-digit scorers with 11 points.
Le Moyne shot a solid 48 percent (29-of-61) from the field, while the Ravens struggled converting only 30 percent (20-of-67) of their shots.
The Dolphins scored the game's first 10 points to take an early commanding lead. Corbin scored nine points during the run to spark the opening surge.
However, Franklin Pierce didn't fold and went on a 13-5 run to pull within two at 15-13 with 8:29 left in the half. Dozier started the run with a trey and Abu followed with a pair of free throws. Senior guard Marcus Wellman (Monroe, Conn.) made three free throws during the rally and Jean-Guillaume capped the run with a layup.
It was then Le Moyne's turn to go on a run and it did so with an 8-0 surge to take a 23-13 lead with 4:53 remaining until halftime. Ekperigin scored five points to aid the run, which would turn out to be the difference for the Dolphins as they took complete control of the game.
The Dolphins continued to build on their lead and took a 36-25 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Le Moyne kept up the offensive intensity in the opening stages of the second half and eventually took a 55-35 lead with 11:35 remaining following a Corbin jumper. The Dolphins led by as many as 26 points on multiple occasions the rest of the way in earning the win.
The loss denied Franklin Pierce the opportunity to even its overall record at .500. The Ravens are a solid 5-5 since the beginning of the new year, including three wins against conference opponents with winning records.
Franklin Pierce returns to action Wednesday night when it travels to face Stonehill at 7:30 p.m. 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(.)