Ravens rally from as many as 17 down to run their record to 2-0 on the season

BOXSCORE

RINDGE, N.H. (November 18, 2009) – The Franklin Pierce University men’s basketball team rallied from a 17-point, first-half deficit on Wednesday night to pick up a thrilling 88-81 triumph over Post University at The Fieldhouse in Rindge, N.H. The Ravens ran their record to 2-0 on the season, marking the third-straight year they’ve won their first-two games of a new campaign. Post fell to 0-2 with the setback.

Three Ravens scored at least 20 points in the contest, including senior forward Terrell Ray (Brooklyn, N.Y.) who tossed in a team-high 28 points (on 12-of-14 shooting from the floor) and pulled down 11 rebounds. It marked the second-straight game he led the team in scoring and posting a double-double. Ray also turned the trick in Sunday night’s win over Lesley as he recorded 22 points and 20 boards.

The other two Ravens to top the 20-point mark on Wednesday versus Post were junior guards Jeff Manchester (Gorham, Maine) and Kinard Dozier (Dedham, Mass.) as they scored 22 and 20 points, respectively. Manchester added five rebounds, two assists, one block and a steal to go along with his point total. Dozier recorded six rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals. He had 14 of his 20 points in the second half as Franklin Pierce mounted its comeback to earn the win.

Freshman guard Eric Jean-Guillaume (Stamford, Conn.) also got into the double-digit scoring column for the Ravens as he netted 10 points, including going 5-for-6 from the free throw line. He also swiped four steals.

Jon Lucky paced Post with 27 points, while Trevon Hamlet pumped in 20. Cecil Stinson netted 16 points before missing most of the second half with an injury.

Post dominated the offensive play in the first half and built a 40-23 lead with 3:43 to go following a layup by Lucky. The Eagles would hold a 30-12 edge in “points in the paint” in the opening 20 minutes and a 16-4 advantage in “fast-break points.”

Franklin Pierce tried to answer with a couple of baskets, but Post would answer with baskets of their own and still held a 15-point advantage at 47-32 with 1:12 remaining.

The Ravens, though, did find a spark in the final minute and got a free throw and layup from Ray and two foul shots from Manchester to trim the deficit to 47-37 at halftime.

That final minute helped propel Franklin Pierce in the second half. The Ravens kept chipping away at Post’s lead little-by-little. They got it within two at 59-57 with 12:10 remaining on a layup from Jean-Guillaume.

Post rallied and scored the next eight points to retake a double-digit lead at 67-57 with 9:48 left.

Franklin Pierce did a solid job from that point on playing tough defense and not allowing the Eagles to get many shots in the paint. By cutting down on Post’s easy looks, Franklin Pierce was able to get back into the game on the other end of the court.

Dozier drained a pair of three-pointers on back-to-back possessions with 4:07 to go to put the Ravens up by one at 78-77. Franklin Pierce would not relinquish the lead the rest of the way.

Dozier then hit a running layup to make it 80-77, and Ray followed on the next series with a layup of his own to push the advantage to five points.

Jean-Guillaume drained three free throws down the stretch, while Manchester also converted a pair to put the game out of reach and give the Ravens the win.

Franklin Pierce returns to action this weekend when it travels to Rockville Center, N.Y. to compete in the Molloy Lions Classic. The Ravens will face Dowling on Friday at 5:30 p.m., and then take on host-school Molloy on Saturday at 4 p.m. A pair of wins for Franklin Pierce this weekend would give the Ravens a 4-0 record, marking their best start to a season in 17 years. Fans wishing to follow the action of both games can do so online by viewing live stats through Franklin Pierce’s athletics website (athletics.franklinpierce.edu). To access the option, click on the “Live Stats” link next to the respective game on the basketball team’s 2009-10 schedule page.