Men's Basketball Can't Overcome Late Shooting Drought in Dropping 65-59 Decision to UMass-Lowell
Eric Jean-Guillaume totals 16 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists
RINDGE, N.H. (December 7, 2010) – The Franklin
Pierce University men’s basketball team couldn’t
overcome a late shooting drought in dropping a close 65-59 decision
to UMass-Lowell on Tuesday night at The Fieldhouse in Rindge. The
Ravens fell to 3-6 overall and 1-5 in the Northeast-10, while the
River Hawks improved to 5-2 and 3-2 in league play.
Sophomore guard Eric Jean-Guillaume (Stamford, Conn.) tossed in a team-high 16 points, while also collecting six rebounds and handing out five assists. Senior guard Kinard Dozier (Dedham, Mass.) had 10 points, four assists, four steals and three rebounds, while classmate Jeff Manchester (Gorham, Maine) added 11 points.
Akeem Williams netted a game-high 19 points to lead the River Hawks to victory.
UMass-Lowell shot a solid 40 percent (26-of-65) from the floor, while holding Franklin Pierce to just 28 percent shooting (17-of-61). The Ravens shooting woes were evident late in the game as they let a 52-50 lead slip away into a 59-52 deficit with 4:06 remaining. Franklin Pierce missed all four shots it took during UMass-Lowell’s 9-0 run, which put the River Hawks on top to stay for good.
The Ravens were able to cut the deficit to three at 61-58 with 3:11 to go following a three-pointer from Dozier. However, that was close as Franklin Pierce would get as Romeo Diaz laid in a basket for Lowell in the closing minute and Nomso Emetarom converted a pair of foul shots to cap the scoring.
The River Hawks owned a 22-6 advantage in points in the paint in the second half, while also holding a 10-2 edge in second chance points.
The first half was tightly contested as there were two ties and five lead changes. UMass-Lowell had a 15-12 lead with 10:36 left in the half, but Franklin Pierce responded by scoring eight of the next nine points to grab a 20-16 advantage. Manchester sparked the surge with a trey and Dozier capped it with five-consecutive points on a lay-up and three-pointer.
The Ravens led the rest of the half, and by as many as eight on two occasions, in building a 32-28 lead at halftime. Manchester had nine points during the opening 20 minutes, while Dozier chipped in with seven.
Franklin Pierce returns to action on Dec. 17-18 when the Ravens travel to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. to take part in the 2010 Cruizin’ Classic. Franklin Pierce will face Eckerd on the 17th at 4 p.m., and then take on Nova Southeastern on the 18th at 8 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).