Six Ravens score in double-figures; Christian drains three with :09 left to force OT

BOXSCORE

ROCKVILLE CENTER, N.Y. (November 20, 2009) - The Franklin Pierce University men's basketball team remained undefeated in the early going of the 2009-10 season with a thrilling 103-101 overtime win over Dowling on Friday night in the First Round of the Molloy Lions Classic in Rockville Center, N.Y. The Ravens improved to 3-0 on the season, while Dowling dipped to 2-1.

Six Ravens scored in double-figures, including junior guard Kinard Dozier (Dedham, Mass.), who pumped in a team-high 22 points. He also grabbed eight rebounds, handed out seven assists, swiped a pair of steals and blocked a shot.

Freshman guard Ryan Creighton (Greenport, N.Y.) followed with 18 points and eight rebounds. He also went an impressive 11-of-13 from the foul line in the contest. Freshman guard Curtis Christian (Harlem, N.Y.) came off the bench to net 17 points, including hitting the game-tying three with :09 left to send it into overtime. Senior forward Terrell Ray (Brooklyn, N.Y.) chipped in with 15 points, while Eric Jean-Guillaume (Stamford, Conn.) and Adedamola Abu (Mattapan, Mass.) added 11 points each in the win.

Franklin Pierce is 3-0 to begin a season for the first time since the 2005-06 season. The Ravens will conclude play in the Molloy tournament on Saturday when they face the Lions at 4 p.m. A Franklin Pierce win would give the program a 4-0 record for the first time in 17 seasons. The Ravens opened the 1992-93 season with a 7-0 record on the way to a 22-8 mark and a berth in the NCAA Tournament.

Five Dowling players logged double-digits in scoring on Friday, including David Seagers game-high 26 points. Sean Smith followed with 21 points in the setback.

The game was a wild affair which produced 12 ties and 13 lead changes. The teams were tied 44-44 at halftime and they responded with another 44 points each in the second half to send the game into overtime knotted at 88.

The game looked to be getting out of Franklin Pierce's reach late when Mike Hill notched a three-point play to put Dowling up 85-79 with :58 seconds left. The six-point lead was the largest for either side in the second 20 minutes.

The Ravens didn't fold and scored nine of the game's final 12 points to force OT. Jean-Guillaume kick-started the rally with a three-pointer and Christian would cap it with his heroic trey inside of 10 seconds to go.

Dozier got the extra period started for Franklin Pierce with a three-point play 22 seconds in. He was able to convert a layup while drawing a foul from Seagers. Dozier hit the ensuing free throw to put the Ravens up 91-88. Christian extended the Ravens lead to 92-88 with a free throw on the team's next possession. Dowling would make several runs the rest of the overtime, but Franklin Pierce would never relinquish its hold.

The teams would exchange baskets over the next couple of possessions. Dowling used a layup by John Merchant to pull within two at 94-92 with 2:42 remaining. However, Dozier would come through once again for the Ravens to add to their advantage. Following Merchant's basket, Dozier hit two foul shots at the other end of the court and then drained a three-pointer on the next possession to extend Franklin Pierce's lead to 99-92 with 2:04 to go.

Nicholas Kadeem made three free throws on an ensuing 5-0 run for Dowling to pull within two at 99-97, but Franklin Pierce, again, had an answer. This time it came from Creighton who drained three free throws on back-to-back possessions to take a 102-98 lead inside 30 seconds left. Those foul shots put the game out of reach as Franklin Pierce's defense clamped down on Dowling in the closing seconds to prevent them from getting the winning basket.

The Ravens forced Dowling into 18 turnovers for the game and held a 26-11 advantage in points off turnovers. Franklin Pierce shot 43 percent from the floor for the game, including a perfect 100 percent in the overtime. Dowling shot 47 percent from the field, but was limited to just 25 percent shooting in the extra frame.

The first half featured six ties and five lead changes as neither team could get any early upper hand on the other. Dowling held a 42-40 lead with 1:08 to go until halftime, but the lead was short-lived as Dozier laid in a basket and Creighton knocked down a pair of free throws on the next possession to give the Ravens a 44-42 edge. A foul on Creighton at the other end of the court enabled Nicholas to convert two foul shots in the final seconds to send the game all square at 44 heading into the locker rooms at halftime.