Men’s Basketball downed at Bentley on final day of 2014

WALTHAM, Mass. (December 31, 2014) – The Franklin Pierce men's basketball team has seen their share of time of as of late through the holiday season. The break however, might have impacted the Ravens and showed that time off did not help on Wednesday. The Ravens dropped their New Year's Eve matchup at Bentley by a final of 84-68. Led by senior Ryen Vilmont (Philadelphia, Pa.) with a team-high 15 points, the Ravens struggled mightily shooting from the floor, especially from behind the three-point arc. Bentley was paced by Keegan Hyland, who scored a game-high 21 points en route to the win for the Falcons.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce drops to 7-5 overall (2-3 Northeast-10), while Bentley improves to 8-5 (3-4 Northeast-10).

The Ravens poor shooting was the only significant downfall to their play, as Franklin Pierce managed to only turn the ball over twice all game, and were also able to force Bentley into 12 turnovers, including nine steals. Franklin Pierce, however, couldn't take advantage of the possessions only mustering 43.5 percent shooting from the floor, and just a tough over 30 percent from three-point land.

Behind Vilmont in the point column was sophomore Donte Gittens (Hartford, Conn.) with 12 points and freshman Mike McDevitt (Cumberland, Maine) who finished with 11 points. Those three were the only Ravens in double figures. However, the most all around production all day came from senior Paul Becklens (Boston, Mass.). Becklens found himself in the right place in the right time all day, sinking nine points, dishing six assists, grabbing five rebounds, and swiping three steals. Vilmont would tie Becklens in rebounds with five as well, while Gittens finished right behind Becklens in the assists department with four.

For Bentley, they saw Hyland turn in a top-notch performance of 21 points, five rebounds, four assists, and a block. Tyler McFarland also put in a good day's work with a double-double performance of 14 points and 11 rebounds. Alex Furness also did a solid job on the floor, as even with seven points, he contributed with eight assists and seven rebounds. JP Koury and Andrew Shaw tossed in solid offensive performances with double-figure points, as Koury finished with 17 points and Shaw with 16 points.

The Ravens will take to the hardwood next on Saturday, January 3^rd as they bring in their first action of 2015 against Assumption at the Fieldhouse in Rindge. Game time is scheduled for a 3:30 pm start.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce basketball apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).