Freshman guard Eric Jean-Guillaume pumps in team-high 18 points

BOXSCORE

LOWELL, Mass. (December 8, 2009) – The Franklin Pierce University men’s basketball team could not pull off a second-half comeback on Tuesday night and dropped a tough 76-65 decision at UMass-Lowell in the Costello Athletic Center in Lowell, Mass. The Ravens fell to 4-4 overall and 0-4 in the Northeast-10. The River Hawks improved to 6-2 and 4-2 in NE-10 play.

Four Ravens scored in double-figures, including freshman guard Eric Jean-Guillaume (Stamford, Conn.) who had a team-high 18 points. Junior guard Kinard Dozier (Dedham, Mass.) added 15 points, while senior forward Terrell Ray (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and junior guard Jeff Manchester (Gorham, Maine) pumped in 11 points each. Ray also brought down 11 rebounds to give him four-straight double-doubles and six in eight games this season.

Kyle Caiola tossed in a game-high 32 points, while Kevin Carr came off the bench to net 20.

The Ravens stormed out of the gates early and took a 9-0 lead three-plus minutes into the contest. Manchester got the run started with a three-pointer and Mike Barrow (Mattapan, Mass.) capped it with a layup.

However, UMass-Lowell answered and scored 19 of the game’s next 27 points to grab a 19-17 edge with 10:08 to go in the first half. Carr sparked the surge with back-to-back threes, and Caiola followed by scoring the ensuing seven points.

Dozier drained a jumper to stem the tide and knot the game at 19-19, but Lowell responded with a 9-0 run to go up 28-19 with 6:55 remaining in the half. The run helped propel the River Hawks to a 40-23 lead heading into the locker room at halftime.

Franklin Pierce did not fold and out-scored UMass-Lowell, 26-15, over the opening 10 minutes of the second half to pull within six at 55-49. Jean-Guillaume hit a pair of threes during the rally, and Ray added a three-point play on a layup and foul shot to help extend the run.

As was the case the entire night, UMass-Lowell had an answer for Franklin Pierce’s run. The River Hawks scored nine-straight points during a three-and-a-half minute span to open up a commanding 64-49 advantage. That run proved to be the difference in helping UMass-Lowell earn the victory.

Franklin Pierce returns to action Friday night when it plays host to Stonehill at 7:30 p.m. in The Fieldhouse in Rindge. Friday night’s doubleheader, which begins with the women’s team taking on Stonehill at 5:30 p.m., is Pierce Pride Night as the first 150 students through the doors prior to the women’s game will receive not one, but two FREE giveaways from the Franklin Pierce Athletic Department.

For more information on Franklin Pierce men’s basketball, please visit the team’s page at athletics.franklinpierce.edu(.)