20-2 Late Bentley Run Ends Ravens Regular Season and Shot at #3 Seed

This Franklin Pierce University men's basketball recap is presented by Belletetes

WALTHAM, Mass. (February 26, 2019) – With the third seed in the Northeast-10 Conference Northeast Division on the line, the Franklin Pierce University men's basketball team dropped an 83-68 battle to conference foe Bentley University Tuesday evening at the Dana Center.

The setback sends the Ravens to 15-13, 11-10 NE10 and to the fourth seed in the NE10 Northeast Division. FPU will now host no. 5 Southwest Division seed Pace University Friday evening in The Fieldhouse at 7:00 p.m. It is the first tournament home contest for men's basketball since the 2013-14 season when they hosted Le Moyne College in the quarterfinals. Pierce defeated Pace 86-78 in their only meeting back on January 16, 2019. The win concludes the Falcons season at 19-9, 12-9 NE10 and earned them an extra couple of days to prepare. They enter the conference tournament as the no. 3 seed in the Northeast Division and will travel on Sunday to no. 2 Southwest Division seed the University of New Haven at 4:00 p.m.

Raven junior guard Doyin Fadojutimi (Temple Hills, Md.) tallied a team-high 21 points to go along with six rebounds and two assists. He was joined by teammate Sean Fasoyiro (Houston, Texas) in double figures with 11 points. Junior transfer Jameson Pierrelus (Martin County, Fla.) matched a personal-best with 11 rebounds with four coming on the offensive end. Senior David Bradbury Jr. (Deep River, Conn.) chipped in seven points in only 10 minutes off the bench.

Bentley sophomore guard Colton Lawrence carried his squad to victory with a game-high 23 points and was 5-of-10 (50%) from beyond the arc. Teammate Ryan Richmond recorded a double-double with 19 markers and 11 caroms to go along with a game-high five assists. 10 of Richmond's 19 points came at the free throw line.

The hosts attempted 14 more free throws than the Ravens and made 12 more attempts. They also shot better from the field (42.4%-to-39.4%) and from beyond the arc (41.4%-to-32.1%), however, the Ravens owned the Falcons in the paint (36-to-24) and their reserves scored more points (31-to-13).

Fadojutimi knocked down a right-wing three off a Lolami Lola-Charles (Aberdeen, Md.) offensive rebound to give the Ravens a 3-0 edge. On the next offensive series, Falu Seck (Washington, D.C.) bombed a trey from the top of the point to lead 6-0 in the early stage. Bentley then dumped in seven straight points which included a line drive right corner three from Zach Gilpin. Fadojutimi did not keep the Ravens down long as he banged home back-to-back treys on the opposite wings to move ahead 12-7. The Falcons deadlocked the game 12-12 via a drive and another three-pointer off the shot of Mason Webb. Fadojutimi hit the back end of free throws then Bradbury Jr. and Jordan Mello-Klein traded threes to keep the Ravens ahead 16-15.

The Falcons took their first advantage at the 9:37 mark when Richmond lofted a floater while being hacked. He made the free throw to complete the three-point play and give the hosts a 20-18 advantage.  A Seth Stankiewicz long-range stroke moved the Falcons ahead 23-18. An Isaiah Moore (Temple Hills, Md.) strong take to the hoop made it a one-possession game, 23-20 until another Falcon three increased the margin to 26-20. Fadojutimi then hung in the air in the low post and connected on his fourth trifecta of the half bringing the Crimson and Grey with three, 28-25.

Nine straight Falcon markers capped off by a Chris Hudson driving two moved them ahead 37-25. A Lawrence missed dunk snared by Fasoyiro led to a three-pointer putting the Ravens within nine, 37-28. With five seconds left, Sam van Oostrum (Sheffield, England) bounced passed the rock to Pierrelus in the low right post and the junior transfer banked home a jumper putting Pierce down 39-32 at the intermission.

Hudson started the second stanza with a hoop and harm off a backdoor cut, he missed the free throw, Bentley snared the offensive board and passed to Richmond who pushed a runner home for the unconventional four-point play upping the margin to 43-32. Fadojutimi then drove twice within the trees to make it a 43-36 game. Both teams swapped threes to keep it a seven-point game 46-39. A Richmond pull up jumper and one Hudson free throw brought the score back to 10, 49-39.

Seven consecutive Raven points, a Seck drive, a Pierrelus corner three and a van Oostrum jumper put the Ravens within three, 49-46. Bentley led 54-48 via another Stankiewicz three-ball however a van Oostrum theft to Fasoyiro for a two-handed dunk and a Bradbury Jr. fast break lay-in made it a two-point 54-52 game with 11:37 left.

Bentley stopped play with a timeout and went on a game-changing 20-2 run. Lawrence put the game away hitting four three-pointers during the spirt and Mello-Klein capped the binge with a layup expanding the Falcons lead to a game-high 20, 74-54. The Ravens came within 14 points a couple of times, but could not come any closer.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://www.fpuravens.com). 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 men's basketball apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (http://www.fpuravens.com/store). You can also follow the men's basketball team on Twitter (https://twitter.com/FPURavensMBB) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/fpuravensmbb/).