Men's Basketball Drops Tough Decision at Saint Michael's
Ravens drop first game of the season; Ray nets double-double with 22 points and 19 rebounds
COLCHESTER, Vt. (November 24, 2009) - The Franklin
Pierce University men's basketball team suffered its first loss of
the season on Tuesday night as the Ravens dropped a close decision
to Saint Michael's, 92-86. Franklin Pierce fell to 4-1 on the
season and 0-1 in the Northeast-10. Saint Michael's improved to 3-1
overall and 1-1 in the league.
Senior forward Terrell Ray (Brooklyn, N.Y.) tossed in a team-high 22 points for the Ravens, while junior guards Kinard Dozier (Dedham, Mass.) and Jeff Manchester (Gorham, Maine) pumped in 16 points apiece. Ray shot an impressive 11-of-15 from the floor and notched a double-double as he pulled down 19 rebounds. It was his third double-double in five games this season. The 19 rebounds for Ray weren't even his season-high as he collected 20 boards in the season-opening win against Lesley back on Nov. 15 in Rindge.
Travis Warech led all scorers with 33 points to pace the Purple Knights in the win.
Franklin Pierce shot an impressive 46 percent from the floor, but Saint Michael's was even better as it converted 52 percent of its shots. The Purple Knights also shot a strong 52 percent from behind the arc. The Ravens held a 41-35 advantage on the boards.
The game saw 11 ties and 15 lead changes. Manchester knocked down a three-pointer four-and-a-half minutes into the contest to stake the Ravens to a 10-4 lead. He laid in a basket at 10:29 of the first half which extended Franklin Pierce's lead to nine points at 22-13.
However, the Purple Knights surged back and went on a 16-2 run over the next four minutes to grab a 29-24 edge. Warech sparked the run with three treys.
The lead changed hands four times alone in the final 3:15 of the half. Ray made a layup with 30 seconds remaining to give the Ravens a 37-36 lead, but Tyler Schilling laid in a bucket of his own in the closing seconds to put the Purple Knights on top, 38-37, heading into the locker room at halftime.
Franklin Pierce held a 20-14 advantage in points in the paint in the opening 20 minutes. It would be part of a 52-32 advantage in that category on the night.
The second half was a mirror image of the first half as the game went back and forth. Neither team in the opening minutes had a lead larger than what the final margin would be.
The Ravens held a 70-66 lead with 6:06 remaining in the game on a layup by Ray. But Schilling and Warech drained back-to-back threes to put Saint Michael's back on top at 72-70. Franklin Pierce would tie it three more times in the closing minutes of the game, but could never retake the lead.
Junior guard Mike Barrow (Mattapan, Mass.) hit a pair of free throws with 1:57 left to knot the score at 80, but Sam Cieplicki pumped in a trey at the other end of the court to put Saint Mike's back up at 83-80. The Purple Knights would not relinquish the lead and pulled away in the closing seconds with free throws to earn the win.
Franklin Pierce returns to action on Sunday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. when it plays host to Saint Anselm in The Fieldhouse.
For more information on Franklin Pierce men's basketball, please visit the team's page at athletics.franklinpierce.edu(.)