Men's Basketball Can't Hold Onto Second Half Lead in Falling 84-75 to Southern Connecticut State
Ravens pull down impressive 54 rebounds
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (January 15, 2011) -- The
Franklin Pierce University men's basketball team couldn't hold onto
its halftime lead and dropped a tough 84-75 decision to Southern
Connecticut State on Saturday at Moore Field House in New Haven,
Conn. The Ravens dipped to 5-11 overall and 3-8 in the
Northeast-10, while the Owls improved to 9-6 and 6-5 in league
play.
Senior guard Kinard Dozier (Dedham, Mass.) led
three Ravens scoring in double-figures as he tossed in 24 points,
while also logging a double-double with 10 rebounds. Sophomore
guard Eric Jean-Guillaume (Stamford, Conn.) and
freshman backcourt-mate Andre Blackwood (Paterson,
N.J.) were Franklin Pierce's other double-digit scorers
with 13 and 11 points, respectively. Jean-Guillaume added seven
rebounds and four steals, while Blackwood collected six boards.
Four Owls scored in double-figures, including Greg Langston who
came off the bench to pump in 29 points, including going 5-of-10
from behind the arc, while also totaling eight rebounds, three
steals and two assists. Chazz McCarter followed with 19 points and
seven rebounds in the win.
The Ravens pulled down an impressive 54 rebounds and held a 54-40
advantage on the glass. However, Franklin Pierce struggled shooting
the ball as it managed just 30 percent (18-of-61) from the floor.
Southern Connecticut State fared better shooting the ball as the
Owls converted on 41 percent (28-of-69) of their shots, including
44 percent (15-of-34) from three-point range.
SCSU came out firing early on and eventually built a 27-18 lead
with 8:17 left in the first half. The Ravens, though, shook off the
slow start and out-scored the Owls, 26-10, the rest of the half in
taking a 44-37 lead into the locker room at halftime. Dozier had 10
points during the late surge, while Blackwood added seven. Freshman
forward Adrianos Vourliotakis Perdikaris (Cholargos,
Athens) chipped in with four points during the final
minutes of the frame with a layup and a pair of foul shots.
The hot shooting late in the first half carried over into the early
stages of the second half for the Ravens as they quickly opened up
a 10-point lead at 47-37 following a deep triple from
Jean-Guillaume. Franklin Pierce pushed its lead out to 11 moments
later at 55-44 when sophomore guard Nigel Van Oostrum
(Sheffield, England) knocked down a jumper.
Down 11, it was now Southern Connecticut's turn to go on a run and
the Owls did so by scoring 21 of the game's next 24 points to
retake the lead at 65-58 with 8:46 to go. Langston scored eight of
the first 12 points during the surge, while Trevon Hamlet added
four points, including a three-pointer. Langston knocked down a
triple of his own two minutes later to push SCSU's lead out to 11
at 72-61.
That run proved to be the difference-maker as Franklin Pierce could
not come-from-behind to retake the lead.
The Owls held a 16-4 edge in points in the paint and a 28-13
advantage in bench points in the second half, thanks in large part
to Langston's offensive fireworks.
Franklin Pierce returns to action Wednesday night when the Ravens
travel to Worcester to face Assumption at 7:30 p.m.
For more information on Franklin Pierce men's basketball, please
visit the team's page at athletics.franklinpierce.edu(.) To follow
the program even further, please visit Franklin Pierce Athletics on
YouTube (www.youtube.com/FranklinPierceSports), Twitter
(www.twitter.com/FPUathletics) and Facebook
(www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceAthletics).