Ravens Fall Short Versus Goldey-Beacom 

Recap by student-staff writer Colin Struckman 

RINDGE, N.H. (12/14/24) – Despite a well-rounded offensive performance from the Franklin Pierce men's basketball team, they couldn't keep up with the Goldey-Beacom Lightning on Saturday afternoon, falling 78-68 in non-conference action. 

Score: Goldey-Beacom 78, Franklin Pierce 68 

Records: Franklin Pierce (1-10, 0-4 NE-10), Goldey-Beacom (4-7, 1-1 CACC) 

Location: The Fieldhouse, Rindge, N.H. 

Date: Saturday, December 14, 2024 

HOW IT HAPPENED: 

• The first half proved to be a track meet. The Lightning came out of the gates firing in the first half, going on a dominant 13-3 run to take the early lead. The Ravens began to show signs of life later in the half after graduate forward Donte Pope (Middletown, Conn.) knocked down a three to cut the deficit down to 13-7. Both teams traded baskets in the next few minutes as freshman forward Caleb Gatewood (Tampa, Fl.) made a layup and redshirt freshman guard Nate Smith (Toronto, Ontario) drilled a three, but the Ravens trailed 20-12. The momentum started to shift in the Ravens favor as Donte Pope reached into the cookie jar for a dunk to trim the Lightning lead to 6. The Lightning always had the answer as they tacked onto their lead and ran off to the 29-19 advantage. The Ravens countered with a 12-7 run to cut the deficit down to 36-31, highlighted by 7 points from Caleb Gatewood. Despite this late push, the Lightning finished the first half off strong by scoring the final 4 points to take the 40-31 lead into the halftime break. 

• The Ravens started the second half with a jumper from senior guard Ja'Keese Kemp (Lakeland, Fl.) to make it 43-33 Lightning. Donte Pope added on by swishing a three-pointer to cut the deficit to 7. The Lightning always seemed to have an answer for the Ravens and went on a mini 8-4 run to take an 11-point lead, their largest of the game. Junior guard Henry White (Simsbury, Conn.) delivered a counter punch by drilling a three-pointer to cut their lead down to 8. The Ravens found new life after White's three-pointer, as Donte Pope laced a jumper and Ja'Keese Kemp laid it off the glass for two to make it just a 4-point lead for the Lightning. The runs from the Lightning continued to haunt the Ravens as they used an 12-5 run to take the 62-54 lead. Donte Pope helped ignite a spark for the Ravens offense by converting a layup and junior forward Demariontay Hall (Atlanta, Ga.) threw down a thunderous slam to cut their lead down to 4. Despite this, the Ravens couldn't keep up with the Lightning for the final 7 minutes. The Lightning used a 16-10 run to cap off their impressive road victory. 

BREAKING DOWN THE NUMBERS: 

• The Ravens shot 52.9% from the field. The Lightning shot 40%.  

• The Ravens shot 35.3% from the field. The Lightning shot 34.6%. 

• The Ravens shot 57.1% from the free throw line. The Lightning shot 80.8%. 

• The Lightning outrebounded the Ravens 41-25. 

• Donte Pope scored a game-high 23 points. 

NEXT UP FOR THE RAVENS: The Ravens will ring in the new year with a non-conference battle against the Daemen Wildcats on Friday, Jan. 3rd at The Fieldhouse. Tip-off is at noon.