Men's Basketball Can't Hold Second Half Lead in Falling 98-91 to Nova Southeastern
Dozier goes for double-double with 26 points and 10 rebounds
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (December 18, 2010) -- The Franklin
Pierce University men's basketball team held a 10-point lead in the
second half, but could not hang on in dropping a tough 98-91
decision to Nova Southeastern on Saturday during the final day of
the 2010 Cruzin Classic in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The Ravens fell to
3-8, while the Sharks improved to 6-4.
For the second-straight game, Franklin Pierce was led in scoring by
senior guard Kinard Dozier (Dedham, Mass.), who
netted 26 points, while also logging a double-double with 10
rebounds. He also had five assists and two steals.
Dozier was one of five Ravens to score in double-digits, as the
other four included senior guard Jeff Manchester (Gorham,
Maine) with 20 points, sophomore guard Eric
Jean-Guillaume (Stamford, Conn.) with 14 points, freshman
guard Andre Blackwood (Paterson, N.J.) with 13
points and sophomore guard Nigel Van Oostrum (Sheffield,
England) with 12 points.
The Ravens shot a solid 43 percent (18-of-42) from behind the arc,
as Manchester led the way with six triples, while Van Oostrum
converted four. Blackwood knocked down three of his five attempts
from long range.
The Ravens shot 44 percent (28-of-63) from the floor, but for the
second-straight game allowed the opposition to make at least 50
percent of its shots, as Nova Southeastern converted on 30 of its
58 attempts for a strong 52-percent clip.
John Brooks led Nova with a game-high 33 points, while Alex Gynes
followed with 22. Lukas Roesch chipped in with 12 points, while
Lemar Dyer and Max Papendieck had 11 and 10 points,
respectively.
It was that strong shooting that enabled the Sharks to rally from a
76-66 deficit with 8:05 to play in the game. From that point on,
Nova Southeastern out-scored the Ravens 32-15 to earn the
come-from-behind victory. Gynes started the surge with a
three-point play, and later in the rally, score eight-consecutive
points. Brooks drained a three-pointer at the 3:00 mark to put the
Sharks on top, 85-83, and they would not trail the rest of the way.
Nova continued to add to its lead and led by as many as 10 late
before picking up the seven-point victory.
The Sharks held a 37-30 advantage on the boards, including getting
eight rebounds from Gynes.
Nova Southeastern came out firing early in the game and led 23-13
with 12:31 remaining in the first half following a trey from
Brooks. The Ravens, though, countered and scored 11-straight points
to grab a 24-23 lead. Manchester, Dozier and Van Oostrum knocked
back-to-back-to-back three's to ignite the run.
Franklin Pierce would lead for much of the remainder of the half
and got a last-minute three from Blackwood to build a 46-41 lead at
halftime.
The Ravens held a slim 61-60 lead midway through the second half
before going on a 15-6 run to open up their 10-point advantage
(76-66) late in the contest. Manchester and Blackwood started the
run with a triple each, while Blackwood capped it with a driving
layup.
Franklin Pierce returns to action Jan. 2, when the Ravens play host
to Southern New Hampshire at 3:30 p.m. in The Fieldhouse in
Rindge.
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).